


Nightmares

by strawberryhyun020805



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demon Hunters, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:33:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryhyun020805/pseuds/strawberryhyun020805
Summary: Lee Howon is an agent of Black Order, an organization responsible for keeping off the demons from causing chaos in the human world.One day, a demon so strong managed to escape his prison in the Demon world and is now causing havoc in the human world.The Black Order then gathered their seven best agents from all branches to defeat the rogue demon.Prompts: Demon Hunters + Nightmares





	1. The Beginning

A loud thud was heard in the hallway as Lee Howon, resident and agent of the organization, fell from his bed after a dreamless sleep. He yawned as he rubbed sleepiness off his eyes. He then stretched his arms. Warm up was then followed by an intense morning routine, which consists of a hundred push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks.

  


When he felt his muscles already burning up and sweat was trickling all over his body, he deemed himself wide awake and ready to face any demons that come his way. Literally and figuratively.

  


A few minutes of rest and he sauntered back into his bathroom. He took his time showering as it was still too early for breakfast to be served in the Hallway. When he was done, he grabbed some casual but organization-approved clothes.

  


The existence of the Black Order and it's purpose is unknown, if not a secret, to normal human beings. However, to people with conscious control over their Psychic Power, the organization is where they belong.

  


Some people acquire Psychic Power since birth, some develop it during adolescence and others only ever know of it when they already become adults.

  


For Howon, it was the first. Apparently, his parents abandoned him to the care of the High Priest Lee Jungyeop, which he calls Uncle in private. He was born with a strong Psychic Power that the Board decided to keep him in the organization because with the Power that he has, the Board thinks he will be of great use to the organization in the future. An important asset.

  


So there he was, 21 years of age and already bears a lot of field experience. He was the most trusted agent of the High Priest and the Board. He was mostly sent to missions that can't be done by any other agents.

  


When he was done with his clothes, he then went down straight to the Hallway. On his way he could hear a loud buzzing indicating the agents who, like him, have already woken up and are eager to have their breakfast. He entered the big doors and was met with the sight of almost a hundred agents milling around the huge area. Some are chatting about their missions these past few days.

If Howon was the one who's asked, he'd simply shrug and tell whoever is asking that it was really as easy as abc. Of course every mission assigned to them could very well be their last but compared to what the older generation of agents experienced before the Treaty was made, their hardships right now are really nothing. But it doesn't make all of it seem unreal though.

  


He looked around the Hall when he went up to line for Breakfast. There were so many faces lingering here and there, some young but most were old. And considering his aloof nature, it was only understandable that he knows close to no one of the people present in the area. That is even with the fact that he practically grew up within the Org, he only has around 3-4 friends known, including his Uncle Jungyeop, the others are his uncle's trusted people.

  
One of them was-

  


"Ow!" He turned to glare at the person who just hit him on the head.

  


"Ya! Feeldog, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

  


You see, he's a man of few words. He watched as his best friend's face contort in a mixture of betrayal and sadness.

  


"Feeldog? You called me Feeldog? Man, we're not in the field. Best friends are supposed to call each other on first name basis, _Howon_." He placed his hand on his heart and muttered an ouch.

  


Howon punched him on the arm. His best friend, Oh Gwangsuk has been and will always be playful. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is.

  


However, when on the field, Feeldog is one of the most serious agents. His record of achievements is a proof of that.

  


"Why did you hit me?" Howon shouldn't have asked. He knew Feeldog does things just because. No reasons needed.

  


"Eyyy, didn't you miss me? Did you get to sleep properly knowing your best friend is out there battling with a rogue Nephilim? Look, you've got dark bags underneath your eyes. Poor Hobaby"

  


That was the last straw. He hit the man on the head. _Hard._

  


"Stop calling me that. Or else I'll do to you what I've done to that Fury who attacked humans for pleasure." He threatened. Of course it was just an empty threat, both of them knew it but it doesn't stop them from humoring each other.

  


"What? You'll rip off my wings? Well, for your information Mr. Lee Howon, I am a human, so I have no wings. So you can't exactly do that right?" Gwangsuk smirked. It was lame, he knows, but he needs to throw something to counterattack his bestfriend's threat.

  


Howon just rolled his eyes at him and went straight to the cafeteria line to get his share of breakfast. Gwangsuk is trailing behind him, still pestering him about things that aren't actually important. There are just days that his best friend says anything and everything just because. And with his luck, today is one of those.

"..so I hissed at the cat and shouted at her to get the heck out of the way of my tv.."

Howon tuned out the other's voice because listening to him spouting nonsense will be just a waste of energy. He'd rather focus on eating his breakfast, thank you.

  


He was on his third piece of toast and Gwangsuk was still rambling things when they heard a familiar shrill sound.

  


It didn't even take a whole five seconds for Gwangsuk to stop talking and put his game face on. Howon reluctantly let go of his toast and hurriedly ran out of the Hallway, into the backyard where the Gate of the Dark World is guarded.

  


He looked around him and saw everyone who were once enjoying morning talks with their friends and colleagues and eating their food are now running ahead, behind or beside him.

  


After all, nothing comes first other than their duty. Not even breakfast, or any other meal for that matter.

  


They were the agents of the organization called the Black Order who have the responsibility to keep the peace between the two worlds, Human and the Demon World, as stated in the Peace Treaty signed by the Human World's chairman of the Black Order, High Priest Lee Jungyeop and the Supreme Lord of the Demon World, Lord Piccolo.

  


The agents were divided into three. First, the Guards, who had low to average Psychic power but are good at combats. They are the ones who routinely guard the Gate. They are also the ones who are responsible for the safety of the Officials.

  


Second, the Officials, they are mostly the pioneers who helped establish the organization. They were said to be the ones who has mastered all special skills, except for their combat skills. Almost all Officials don't have the ability to fight off even a single rogue demon. That is why they were mostly found in their Offices.

  


Lastly, the Dark Knights, they are gifted with both High Psychic Power and great combat and special skills. They are the ones who get their hands dirty on special missions just for the sake of humanity's peace and sustenance. They fight off rogue demons who wander the earth, seeking to ruin human souls.

  
Howon and Gwangsuk belong to the third classification.

Some agents are seen hopping over the roof of the building and the others opted to just run fast on the ground.

  


When Howon reached the gate, he saw the Guards on fighting stance. However, despite the still ongoing shrill sound coming from the device placed above the Gate, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Which explains the shared look of confusion by all the agents, especially the Guards.

  


The device was made to detect demons who enter the human world illegally or without the permission of their Supreme Lord. This definitely helps with the implementation of the Treaty where these makes anyone, may it be a demon or a human, liable if he or she entered the other world without proper authority. Those who don't follow the Treaty are labeled as Rogue. And the Black Orders of both worlds are responsible for eliminating them, especially if they cause trouble.

  


Howon looked around, squinting his eyes as if that would help him see whatever demon decided to be rogue. He was distracted however when he heard a single beep from his in-ear.

  


"What is going on Hoya?"

  


The voice on the other end is no other than his uncle, the High Priest. But since it is protocol, they must not call each other as if they're family. Hence the codename.

  


"Sir, we are currently at the Gate. The device is still emitting shrill sounds as of now. However, no demon is seen coming out of the portal." He replied matter-of-factly.

  


"No demon is _physically_ seen?" Howon knew his uncle to be a calm person but when he asked that question, his voice was clearly laced with anxiety.

  


"What do you mean, Sir?"

  


"Ah, nothing. I was just-- Just stay there and watch out for any of it. Then come to my office once you're done. And by done, I mean when the device stops and no demons are still found."

  


"Do you think the device needs to be replaced, Sir? After all, it's very important for detecting rogue demons."

  


"I don't know, to be honest with you. I'll probably talk to the Board about this. Just.. just come to my office once you're done."

  


He then heard another beep, signaling the end of their communication.

  


He glanced at his left and saw Gwangsuk with his face contorted in confusion, as all the other agents. It was a first, after all.

  


For the whole time that Howon spent in the Black Order, the device never failed to announce rogue demons entering. It was the key to how the Black Order kept the chaos to a minimal and a secret to the ordinary people.

  


It has been with them for a long time, ever since the Treaty was signed in the 1960s. And now in 2030, it is still perfectly fine. Or so they thought.

  


A few minutes later, the sound stopped, with still no demon ever surfacing. It was quiet for a whole minute until every agent decided it is safe to let their guards down and talk.

  


Loud chattering was heard as the agents leisurely walked back to the building. Howon was casually walking, not even sparing a glance to his best friend who he believes is just right behind him.

  
And then a sound came which stopped them all in their tracks.

  


They glanced back and saw some of the Guards moaning loudly and the others are screaming in agony. They were taken aback at the sight of the agents.

  


The ones moaning loudly have wisps of unearthly smoke coming in and out of their private parts. But if that isn't enough to bring shock to the rest of the agents, the ones who are screaming in agony are now even screaming louder.

  


They watched as their bodies slowly lose the strength to stand on their own and they crumpled down on the grass, their breathing now labored.

  
They saw how the agents tried to fight off whatever it is that are attacking them but considering the fact that most of them are Guards, they have no enough Psychic Power to defeat those demons. Everyone except one certain agent who once moaned loudly.

  


Howon's eyes bulged out when he saw Feeldog struggling as he tried to keep his moans at a minimum. He can see how his best friend is mustering all his strength to release a wave of Psychic Power to defeat the demons attacking them.

  


It all happened so fast that all the agents were struck dumb, frozen on their feet.

  


A wave of Psychic Power came out of Feeldog and successfully released him and the other agents from the demons' grip. He watched as his bestfriend, now low on strength, slumped down on the grass and is heaving loudly.

  


He ran to where his best friend is, as well as the other agents who checked on the victims.

  


"Are you okay? Do you have any idea what that was?"

  


His bestfriend just shook his head.

  


"Let's get you to the Clinic." He said as he assisted his best friend standing up. He placed Gwangsuk's left arm over his shoulders so he could better assist him as they started to make their way inside.

  


They saw flashes of white coming their way and was greeted with the Doctors who hurriedly went to the place of attack. Someone must've called them. Thank gods.

  


They were asked to remain where they were, especially those who were attacked, and requested the others to go back inside.

  


One agent is calling them out in a voice of anguish. She is sitting next to another agent, a Guard, slumped down. Her pretty face is streaked with tears as she held the other's hand. Howon then saw the shiny ring on both agents' ring finger.

  


It is common for Black Order agents to marry each other since being in a relationship with a normal and ordinary people is complicated, not to mention dangerous.

  


He watched as Doctor Kim went to the agent. She then sat beside the man and checked his pulse. When she noticed it was faint, she then rummaged through her case and pulled out a pen. She scanned it over the man's body and then placed it on another case.

  


A hologram then was seen, much like an x-ray. Doctor Kim's eyes betrayed her calm face. It clearly showed shock and disbelief.

  


She snatched back the pen and repeated the process, only to be greeted by the same image.

  


"What's happening, Doctor Kim? Is there something wrong? Is Junghoon going to be okay?" The woman was now frantic. She knows he isn't okay. But she was still holding on to the hope that maybe, somehow, everything is going to be fine.

  


The doctor shook her head and stared straight into the woman's eyes.

  


"I'm sorry. There is nothing we could do. This is something we've never encountered before. With his status right now, I'm afraid he only has a few hours more to live." Her voice was somber.

  


Howon furrowed his brows. He heard what the doctor said. The Hospital has been in coexistence with the Black Order. They have been around for many decades so surely they know a lot.

  


However the fact that the brightest doctor of her generation, Doctor Kim Bora, doesn't know anything, then that probably means they're battling with demons who are either rare or doesn't cause much trouble before. Or no records of them were kept.

  


The woman just cried as the man tried to tighten his hold but to no avail. The doctor said his bones were turned to somethung like a jelly and his heart is turning as hard as a bone, making it hard for the organ to pump blood.

  


The doctor muttered a sincere apology to the couple and got up. She noticed Howon staring at her, then her gaze landed on the person beside him.

  
She then walked towards them and he watched how her steps seem to falter as one by one, the agents who are related to the ones who were screaming in agony earlier, are now crying in anguish.

  


When she managed to reach them, she did the same process to Feeldog and she noticeably let out a sigh of relief.

  


"Hey there beautiful."

  


Despite his weakness, Gwangsuk still managed to flirt.

  


Howon was surprised when the once calm face of the doctor turned into an angry one as she hit his best friend on the arm. And he was even more shocked when Gwangsuk just laughed at the hits.

  


He let go of his bestfriend and watched as he hugged the doctor, who was now crying.

  


"Sshh it's not your fault honey." He heard him say. He looked at his bestfriend and mouthed Honey?

  


His bestfriend only offered him a smile then continued on shushing the doctor. When the doctor finally calmed down, she hastily wiped her tears and Howon looked around, pretending not to witness her moment of crying.

  


As he looked away from the scene, he noticed men carrying some agents on gurneys as their relatives or friends or even spouses accompanied them.

  
He watched as it became a parade of anguished cries and sorrowful sobs.

  


Howon shook his head and watched as all the other agents left the scene. Now the only people that remains in the vicinity are the three of them.

  


He then turned back to the two and watched as the doctor gave Gwangsuk an orange pill, the one that could give them back their spent energy. The both of them then stood up and he was signalled by his bestfriend to follow them.

  


Being curious and all about what happened earlier, he decided to delay reporting to the High Priest and walked behind the couple.

  


They ended up on the secluded area of the Forest. They then sat down on the tree logs strategically placed for sitting down.

  


"What was that?"

  


Howon decided to break the silence.

  


"I have an idea but I can't be certain. I am really not sure." The doctor said.

Gwangsuk then held her hand and smiled at her, encouraging her to continue talking. The gesture confirmed Howon's thoughts that the two are actually dating.

  


"I had a hunch when someone reported agents being attacked by some surreal wisps of smoke. But it was somehow solidified when I checked on that one agent."

Howon waited for her to continue, not prompting her to talk fast.

  


"His bones can't be seen when I scanned his body. And it was also evident when I checked for his pulse since his arm was as soft as a jelly. And then there's his heart. There is only one kind of demon who could torture that way without being seen."

  
Howon and Gwangsuk exchanged a look as they waited for her to finish.

  


"So what do you think it is?" Howon asked.

  


"I think.. i think it's the Nightmare spirits." Her voice was shushed, as if afraid that one notch louder and she'd terrify all the other agents and even the ordinary people.

  


His eyes bulged out. Nightmare spirits...

  


"You mean the Incu--"

  


"Ssssh!" The doctor reprimanded him even before he finished his sentence.

  


"Names carry power. It will only make them stronger if you mention their name."

  


"But if what you said is right and it was really a work of an incu- a nightmare spirit, then that means they feed on our fears right? Wouldn't not mentioning their names make them even stronger?" Hoya asked quizzically.

  


"Yeah honey. We learned them in class. However, that was the only thing they discussed about this demon."

  


The woman contemplated before answering.

  


"Nightmare spirits feed on human energies, not just fears. Anyway, it was said that a few years back, the Archive was attacked and all the records related to these nightmare spirits were burned. Up until now, the culprit wasn't found. That is why they were taught less in class."

  


As Howon listened, he figured out that the doctor has a point. Back when he was still attending classes, the professors take up two to three sessions when discussing a type of demon. 

They discuss their history, their powers, their strengths and their weaknesses. But when it came to the Incubi, it only took them one meeting.

  
The professor only told them a brief history of the Incubi and on how they feed on people's fears. They also talk about what happened 21 years ago, when a bunch of rogue demons decided to wreak havoc on the human world.

  


But that was it.

  


There was no in-depth discussion of this type of demon. How they specifically attack and how they can be defeated.

  


They only told them that these demons can be defeated with strong psychic power.

  
Bora looked at them one by one and then let out a sigh.

  


"I'll go and report to the Head Doctor first. I think he has an idea. And I'd be damned if it isn't the same as mine."

  


She then stood up and waved goodbye to the two of them. Then she walked out of the forest, leaving the two staring into space.

  


Minutes ticked by in silence before Howon stood up and decided to shatter it.

  


"So... You and Dr. Kim, huh?" He nudged his bestfriend. Even with the current situation, he still can't let go of this new fact.

  


"Dude, if you only listened to half of what I'm saying, you would've known since a month ago that we're dating."

  


"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry." Howon shut his mouth and silence once again engulfed them.

  


"Hey. Aren't you going to the High Priest's office?"

  


Howon visibly paled at the question. He looked at his watch and cursed at himself. He has already delayed the meeting for half an hour.

  


It's a miracle his in-ear isn't beeping yet. The High Priest must've been very preoccupied. Thank heavens.

  


He then bid a quick goodbye to his best friend and dashed into his uncle's office.

  


He was about to knock on the High Priest's office door when he heard an argument ensuing inside.

  


"..you know that is dangerous. We don't want a repeat of what happened two decades ago!" He heard a voice close to shouting, he assumed it was the Chairman of the Board.

"I know, I know. But we still aren't sure. We have to wait for a confirmation before we take action." Replied his uncle's calm voice.

  


He must've been rubbing his temples by now, as he always does when he's trying to be calm in a stressful situation.

  


"We have to confirm it fast. Have you called the Supreme Lord already? Or did he call you?"

He heard a sigh, presumably his uncle's.  
"I.. I haven't heard from him yet. And I haven't called him, too. I'll do it later after this meeting is over."

"Okay. Make sure you do just that. We can't afford another incident Mr. Lee. If our suspicions are right, then you know what to do."

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

And it was silent after that. Hoya waited for a few more minutes outside the door, expecting the members of the Board to file out of the office. But when he noticed no one came, he tentatively placed his ear on the door and was almost knocked off when the door suddenly opened.  


Howon tried to straighten up and pretend he just arrived, so his uncle won't realize he was eavesdropping.

Speaking of which, he roamed his eyes around the room and found no one inside. He was about to ask his uncle who he was talking to, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of the Lunar Stone on his uncle's office.

_Ahh so he used the Moon Magic to communicate with the Board members. I wish I could have a chance to use it too. It's probably-_

  


A loud cough stopped Howon from his musings.  


"Oh. Uhm hi?" Howon greeted his uncle, waving his hand awkwardly (as always).

  


The said man gestured for Howon to sit on the couch near the coffee table. Howon was beginning to sweat. His uncle may be a doofus most of the time but when it comes to serious matters, Lee Jungyeop is as cold as a graveyard stone. Err maybe not the right analogy but well. 

"So, what happened?" 

Howon visibly relaxed. At least he wasn't greeted by an angry Jungyeop who would yell at him because he was thirty minutes late or even more.

  


He then narrated what happened. How the alarm rang and all the agents near the vicinity ran to the Gates. How everyone thought it was a fluke until some of the Guards and agents were found with wisps of smoke on various parts of their body especially the private parts. 

He also stated how Doctor Kim Bora, along with other doctors, declared the other victims incurable. How their bones turned to jelly and their hearts slowly turning to bones. He told him everything.

  


Everything except what Bora suspected awhile ago.

  


He doesn't know why he withheld such vital information but it felt like it wasn't right. Not the time, nor the place.

  


The office was silent when Howon finished relaying what happened earlier. He stared at the crease formed on the other's forehead.

  


Then the other man suddenly stood up and went to his table. Howon just followed his uncle's movements, since he was not yet dismissed. He watched as Jungyeop sat on his chair and grabbed the Lunar Stone.

_Holy shit! Am I finally going to see the Lunar Stone in action?! Cool._

  


Although he wanted nothing as of the moment but to watch the moon magic unfolding in front of his eyes, he's also thinking of silently leaving. After all, they had a silent agreement that no one, except the Leaders of both world are allowed to use and watch the magic work.

  


However, curiosity won. And he had the fact that he wasn't dismissed yet to back him up.

Jungyeop began touching the stone with his palm and citing incantations he never understood but based on what he heard, the High Priest is trying to contact the Supreme Lord of the Demon World.

He gawked when a visible shield formed around Jungyeop. Its light casting a scenery of an inky night sky, moon looming ahead, reflecting a mirror-like image.

As seconds passed by, the color seemed to realize, along with the mirror. A few breaths later and a loud squeal came from the mirror.

Supreme Lord Piccolo, despite the fact that he was feared and respected among all demons, was not afraid to flaunt his immature self. He was always known to be found doing random things and saying incoherent words that more often than not do not make sense.

"Hello to you too. It's been a long time since we talked hm?You finally missed me my dear friend?"  
The High Priest just shook his head while Howon on the other hand was trying so hard to stop himself from laughing.

  


He had met the Supreme Lord once, in one of the many conventions he was forced to attend with his uncle. In fact, he had made friends with the Lord's son, Jang Dongwoo and his Nephilim friend, Lee Sungjong.

  


Jang Dongwoo is just like his dad except that he was more on the soft side. Whereas the Supreme Lord goes berserk when he was angered, Dongwoo just takes a deep breath and approaches the matter with a smile.

  


"Quit it, Jang. I need to confirm things with you. This is a serious matter so I'd expect you to hide away that child mask you're wearing for now."

  


With that said, the air became tensed and Howon felt like he had to keep his back straight considering the business-like atmosphere now surrounding the office.

  


"Hmm okay. Shoot."

  


"Did they escape again?"

  


No names were mentioned but that question was enough to wipe out all the childish carefree self the Supreme Lord has.

  


Howon heard him sigh and in his apologetic tone confirmed the question.

  


"No one was found meddling near the Gates on our end so we initially thought it was a fluke somehow. But then I heard some of the agents in here talking about how the human Guards looked like they were being raped by wisps of smoke."

  


"Yes, that much is true. And I heard they even obliterated some of our agents' bones."

  


"I sent Dong to investigate in the dream realm but came back with no sight of that damn creature. Apparently it escaped through the Dream Channel."

  


"I see. So that is the reason why they weren't physically detected. Wait- what do you mean by "it"? Just how many of them escaped?"

  


Howon watched as the Supreme Lord gasped in surprise.

  


"You didn't know?"

  


Now Jungyeop was frowning. This is not the time to play games for goodness' sake! He remained silent and waited for the man to continue talking.

  


"Jungyeop, there is only one remaining demon of his kind. And he's the strongest from his kin. Which was why we put up high security measures on the Dream Realm so he won't be able to escape again. But alas! I think he found out some weakness in the security hence the recent escape."

  


Jungyeop's blood was drained from his face and Howon thought he'd never seen his uncle get this scared. Just what are they battling with?

  


The High Priest opened his mouth and then closed and opened it again, fumbling for words but found none befitting the situation.

  


"Look, Jungyeop, I know it's somehow our fault. Through the years, we've become laid back and totally ignored the possibility of that demon wanting to escape again. As an apology, I'm going to send my son and Sungjong to aide you in recapturing him."

  


Jungyeop just nodded.

  


"Ok. I'll talk to the Board members. Let Dong and Jong come to my office immediately after entering the Human World"

  


"Roger that." The Supreme Lord said.

  


Then with a flick of his fingers, the connection was cut off. The moonlight that had overshadowed him awhile ago is now gone, the Lunar Stone blinking a few seconds before it stopped.

  


Jungyeop sighed and laid his head on his chair, staring at the ceiling.

  


Howon wanted so much to interrupt and he did just that:

  


"Unc- Sir, may I have the privilege to know what demon you're talking about earlier?"

  


The High Priest sat up straight and stared at him. He met his uncle's gaze with a determined look.

  


"I'll tell you once I'm done talking to the Board. You are now dismissed."

  


"But sir-"

  


"No buts, Hoya. Now go. I'll call you."

Few days later, still, that call from his uncle never came. The latter even refused to see him saying he's busy and he'll talk to him after everything is dealt with. The same bullshit every damn time.

  


What lifted him up is the fact that Dongwoo and Sungjong arrived last week and they've been hanging out since.

  


He hadn't met Gwangsuk after the talk in the Forest and he assumed that he was sent out once again on a mission. Howon was bored because for some reason, he's been vacant since the incident. It's as if his schedule was made clear so he's available if ever an emergency situation happens. Or maybe that's just him being optimistic.

  


The other part of his brain still can't let go of the fact that his uncle hasn't talked to him just yet.

  
So here he was, bored and restless, sandwiched between Dongwoo and Sungjong in the couch as they watched tv.

  


He looked at his right and saw Sungjong staring impassively at the tv. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that Sungjong is just a normal guy at 15 years of age.

  


He still remembered that time when Dongwoo introduced him to the Nephilim. He was taken aback when the latter shamelessly called him by his name, without the proper title because damn he sure looks way younger than Howon.

  


He chastised the Nephilim and told him to call him hyung but the angel-faced devil smirked.

  


"You can't be older than me, Howon."

  


Howon's nose flared even more because Dongwoo was laughing so loud as he was nodding his head.

  


"You look like you just reached 15. And I just turned 18 so of course I'm older. Now call me hyung."

  


"Sorry to break your bubble Howon but I'm way older than you. Didn't Dongwoo tell you I'm a Nephilim?"

  


"Of course he did! So?"

  


"Well, a Nephilim stops aging physically at the age of 15 hence my look. But I've been around since the start of the 20th century so I'm much more older than you. In fact, aren't you the one who should address me formally and with respect?"

  


Up until now, three years since that meeting, he still can't accept that someone who looks younger than him is way older. He's just glad that the Nephilim didn't force him to call him hyung or else it will be the end of him.

  


A loud curse brought him back to the present and his head immediately looked at the source.

  


Dongwoo who was smiling awhile ago was now looking so serious, his face taut with tension. Plus he never heard him curse! Up until now, that is.

  


He then stared back at the television and figured out why Dongwoo cursed.

  


The news reporter was talking about two incidents whereby the women went crazy, screaming as they stabbed their husbands to death.

  


The tv was currently showing an interview with one of the victim's immediate family.

  


"My brother has told me just a couple of days ago how my sister in law seemed to ignore him all the time. And uhm can I say it here?" The man, apparently the younger brother of one of the husbands went near the reporter and whispered on her ear.

  


He saw blush crept on the reporter's cheeks and she just nodded silently.

  


"My brother's married life has always been happy. He's always proud of his sex life because it seems like every day is their honeymoon. However, a few days ago, my sister in law stopped responding to my brother's caresses and it carried on for a couple more days before my brother thought his wife is seeing another man. He was really frustrated and he's been talking about it with me. That day when he..he was killed.. it was the day he decided to just stop thinking negatively of his wife's behavior and decided to just be romantic with her once again. I don't know what really happened, their neighbors said they heard her scream as if she just saw a monster and the next thing they know, she was on a rampage killing her husband."

  


Howon shivered. Wow, if it isn't dark.  


He then turned to Dongwoo, intent to crack a (stupid) joke about the situation but he sensed the tense aura coming off from the two people beside him.

  


"Guys, is there something I don't know about?" He huffed. He hated being left out, especially in matters like this.

  


He was met with silence.

  


And then Sungjong turned to him.

  


"I'm sorry, Hoya. We are in no position to tell you anything. You have to wait for the higher ups to tell you about the situation."

  


Just then, his in-ear beeped.

  


"Hoya, come to my office ASAP. Bring Dongwoo and Sungjong with you."

  


Then he was gone. He heaved a sigh and then motioned for the two to come with him. Before leaving, he glance at the television and saw the reporter talking with another man, presumably the other victim's relative. He shook his head then grabbed the remote to turn off the tv then headed out of the room followed by Dong and Jong.

  


When he reached the High Priest's office, he took a deep breath before knocking three times.

  


He was greeted by a grave look on Jungyeop's face. He motioned them to sit on the couch parallel to his office table. He was about to make a sassy remark if only to lighten up the mood but he thought it was rather inappropriate so he refrained from doing so.

  


The silence was overwhelming. He waited for his uncle to utter a single word and when he did, Howon's jaw was left hanging.

  


"With your expressions right now, I bet you've also seen the news?" He asked the two who nodded in response.

  


"I see. I presume you already know the demon behind that?"

  


"Wait! That was caused by a demon?" Hoya rose from his seat. He doesn't know anything anymore. He feels so left out and today, he was determined to know what the fuck is actually happening. And it seems like Jungyeop has the same intention too.

  


"Sit down Hoya. I apologize for keeping you in the dark for this past few days. But right now, I need your full attention. I'll be assigning you on a mission with Dongwoo and Sungjong and four more agents from other branches. We've talked this out with the Board and we came up with the conclusion of gathering all the best agents to carry out this mission."

  


"Okay, first of all, why is Dongwoo and Sungjong included? No offense to you guys but do they have experience in fighting? And I refuse to take part in this mission without knowing what I am fighting with." He said nonchalantly.

  


His cold mask was knocked out when Sungjong elbowed him on his ribs.

  


"Excuse me but Dongwoo and I are the best agents from the Black Order in the Demon world. I bet we have higher ranks and more experience than you."

  


Howon just stared at him.

  


Right.

  


He forgot the Demon World also have their own Black Order. How idiotic.

  


"S-sorry."he said sheepishly. "But my point still stands. I have to know everything about what's happening before I take part in this mission."

  


Of course he knows once the higher ups assign you on a mission, you have no other choice but to accept it whether you like it or not. But for now, he wants to be stubborn and force out the truth from his uncle.

  


"That's the reason why I called you here, you idiot. Now if you just sit down, we could get this done and over with."

  


Embarrassed, Howon silently plopped back to the couch.

  


Jungyeop cleared his throat .

  


"I'm sure you remembered the incident two weeks ago when some Guards died a few hours after the attack from an unseen demon. The demon you are about to fight is not to be underestimated. What assaulted our agents at that time isn't the demon itself but its malice."

  


"It's not the demon itself? What do you mean?"

  


"The thing is, there is only one demon of its kind. But just because only one demon is causing all these troubles doesn't mean you can easily defeat him. That is why we have decided to reach out to all the other branches of the Black Order and requested the best agents. I've already called them and they're probably arriving this evening or tomorrow morning."

  


"Okay, but what about the demon? I still don't know anything about it." Howon is reaching the end of his patience's limit. His uncle sure is testing him.

  


"Oh , apologies. This type of demon is called a nightmare spirit, an incubus to be specific. They rape humans in their dreams and thrive on human energies. Their victims don't know they're raped of course. These demons tend to incite sexual satisfaction from their victims, thus it appears to be consensual but the truth is, the demon is already feeding on that victim's energy. It continues on until their victims are mentally drained. The victims then refuse to participate in sexual activities with their partners and worse is, they tend to see their partners as monsters and kill them."

  


Howon processed everything the High Priest has said.

  


"So aside from the worst case scenario, the only problem is that the dream rapist prevents the couples to get it on?" He said, half-joking.

  


The people inside the office made a grim expression and how he wished he could take back what he said earlier. How can he be so stupid even in a situation like this.

  


"You see Hoya, if we can't stop this demon from raping his victims, women killing their husbands aren't the end result that we're stressing on about. Although it's a matter of importance too but if this continues, you're right, couples won't "get it on" and what do you think will happen to the human race if all capable people stopped making babies?"

  


Howon just shut his mouth. He can't afford to spout any more idiocy from his mouth and further annoy his uncle. He stared at his uncle in a way which begs his uncle to continue talking.

  


Jungyeop pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration.

  


"If people stopped making babies at this rate, there's a huge possibility that the human race will go extinct. Do you get why defeating this incubus is important now Hoya?" He barked.

  


Hoya is so embarrassed and it was fueled even more by the sympathetic looks Dongwoo was throwing at him. He decided to be professional and continued talking.

  


"So what do we have to do?"

  


"As of now, you just have to wait. The Organization made a specialized research in order to locate where the demon is hiding. You see, since he assaults dreams, that means we can't be aware of whatever it is he's doing or wherever he is. If only there was a Dream Guard.."

  


Dream Guard? His eyebrow raised as he turned to Sungjong for more explanations because apparently it wasn't discussed in any of the books left in the Archive.

  


"The Dream Guard is the only one who has the best leverage when it comes to defeating the Incubi. The Dream Guard can alternate between the dream and the real world. He can control life and death in a dream. And because the enemy is a nightmare spirit living in the dream world, chances are higher of defeating it."

  


Howon nodded dumbly.

  


It would've been cool if it was taught in class.

  


"So all we have to do is find the Dream Guard?"

  


"No, we can't do that. The last Dream Guard disappeared two decades ago when he was trying to contain the Incubi and lock it in a prison. Maybe the Psychic power that the Dream Guard casted on the prison weakened hence the escape of the nightmare spirit."

  


"Oh... Ohhhhh o-kay. Uhm so what do we do now, aside from waiting for the results of the research?"

  


"You have to wait for your new teammates. As I've said, they'll be arriving tomorrow at the latest, this evening at the earliest. Get to know each other, be comfortable and discuss possible strategies. Anything to establish teamwork."

  


"Okay.".

  


"Sungjong and Dongwoo, I expect you to educate our agents. They're not that much aware of the Incubi since the Archive was robbed of all their documents."

  


"Yes, sir." The duo said simultaneously.

  


"Okay. You are now dismissed. And Hoya? Please take this really seriously like all the other missions I've assigned you on."

  


He nodded and then went out of the office.

  


He stretched his arms and then let out a yawn.

  


"Aaah I can't wait to meet our teammates!!" Dongwoo said, his normal laughing self back again.

  


"Hm. Me too, I guess." He replied to which Sungjong just nodded.

  
*  


It was already evening when they heard whispers in the dining area. Apparently, the agents saw new faces coming in to the High Priest's office. If Howon heard it right, there are four of them and each one of them is handsome, according to the female agents who are swooning.

  


He looked down at his plate and noticed his pudding was missing. He looked up and stared at Dongwoo who's happily eating HIS pudding without any guilt or even care.

  


"It looks like you won't eat it and the pudding looked sad so I decided to just eat it." Dongwoo said before he even managed to scold the demon, showing his pearly white teeth and gums.

  


"Fine whatever. Eat all you want."

  


"Uwaa Howon is really the best! I love you Howonie~"

  


Howon blushed a bit because of the sudden confession, reminding himself of that time where he had a temporary crush on the smiling angel. But that was then and this is now...

  


He ignored the knowing look Sungjong threw his way and he hurriedly stood up and went to get another serving of pudding.

  


The once rambunctious dining hall was reduced to a whispering and giggling mass for no apparent reason, as Howon just went straight and asked for his pudding from the woman in charge.

  


When he got what he wanted, he immediately turned to go back to their table. Well, that was what he intended but he was only left fuming as he watched his pudding turn into nothing but a messy slop on the floor. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, not wanting to be mad.

  


"Am I that attractive for you not to give even just a little bit of space so accidents like this could've been prevented?" He said calmly, eyes still closed.

  


He heard the person in front of him shuffle.

  


"My bad. I'm sorry I really didn't mean it. I swear-"

  


And Howon knows it's pretty stupid but the other person's voice sounded like it belonged to someplace other than the Earth. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with a heavenly sight.

  


His eyes scanned the other male's face. His eyes are casted down in an act of apology. His nose so sharp Howon thinks even Sungjong's blade can't compare. And his lips, God don't even let him start there.

  


The other person coughed and Howon was brought back to the issue at hand.

  


His pudding. Right.

  


"I'm really sorry. How about I buy you another one?" And the guy smiled at him.

  


It took everything in him to bit back an answer because how could someone resist that charming smile? Definitely no one. But the issue here is not the person, but his pudding.

  


"No, thanks. It's the last one available so I guess you can't do that."

  


He watched as the person's face morphed into a look of horror. Then another man came forward, eyes so small Howon thought it's just a single line made from a sign pen.

  


"I apologize on this idiot's behalf but to be fair, we're not yet familiar with this place as we only have arrived a few minutes back."

  


"Wait, wait, wait. You're not from here? And you just arrived?"

  


Howon looked at the person who bumped into him and then at the small eyed man and he noticed that there are two more guys behind them. One was a tall and beefy red-haired man and the other was a sculpture-like handsome man.

  


Realization hits Howon as he looked around the dining hall and saw the other agents whispering and talking about the newcomers.

  


Of course! If only Howon managed to actually befriend or even know his colleagues then maybe he'll realize sooner that these four are the people they were waiting for.

  


Howon just stared at them and was snapped out of it when Dongwoo and Sungjong came to his side.

  


"Hi~ Are you the best agents from the other branches?" Dongwoo was all smiles as he wrapped his arms around Hoya's shoulder.

  


The four just nodded and was about to introduce themselves when they were interrupted by Sungjong.

  


"Let's talk somewhere private. Just so you know, all eyes are on us right now." Sungjong said and went ahead of them.

  


The other guys, though confused, only shrugged and followed Sungjong.

  


They then arrived at a balcony, far from any other soul.

  


"So..." Someone said, although Howon wasn't sure who it was. He just kept his eyes cast downward.

  


"Fine. I'm going to introduce myself first."

  
Howon lifted his head and saw the small-eyed man take a step forward. He cleared his throat before he proceeded to introduce himself.

  


"Kim Sunggyu. Codename QZZ. I came from the Northern Branch of the Black Order."

  


Sunggyu concluded his introduction with a small bow.

  


Now that Howon noticed it, Sunggyu is actually a handsome man too. His eyes may be small but it is sharp as well. His nose is straight and his lips are beautiful too. His physique is not that great but Howon thinks this man fights good. Well, if that's not the case then he wouldn't be here with them now, right?

  


And then the man who bumped into him earlier came up.

  


"Hello, everyone. It's nice to see you though i hope it's not over something like a life and death situation but oh wel-"

  


The man was interrupted by Sunggyu's jab on the side, to which he winced and made an ok sign to the latter and faced them once again.

  


Howon felt the nerve on his head pulsating. For some reason, he didn't like anyone hurting the man.

  


"Uh, yeah hello. I'm Nam Woohyun from the Eastern Woods Branch of the Black Order."

  


"Your codename, idiot." Sunggyu hissed.

  


"Oh sorry." Woohyun scratched his head and then made a V sign while smiling.

  


Howon tried so hard to suppress the smile that's creeping on his mouth. Because that would be weird right?

  


"My codename is Namu, like the tree." Then he giggled.

  


He freaking giggled!

  


How can a man his age be this cute and charming and so attractive that Howon is almost always caught off guard. It took a lot in him to not coo and pat the man on his head.

  


He's totally asking for it, that dimwit!!

  


And now he's even having an internal battle. Just what the actual heck?

  


Woohyun stopped giggling and Howon looked up. He sighed when he noticed Sunggyu staring daggers at Woohyun.

  


What the fuck is wrong with that fox-man?! Why can't he just let Woohyun run around, gracing the world with his beautiful presence and his charming smile?!

  


The tall man then proceeded to introduce himself, followed by the most handsome man of them all.

  


"He~llo! I'm Lee Sungyeol from the Southern Woods Branch of the Black Order. I have really long legs so my codename is Gazelle! I can run fast, like reeeaallly fast! And I can also attack demons without then noticing it first because damn boi, I'm that fast."

  


He then concluded his (weird) introduction with him flexing his biceps.

  


"What's your biceps got to do with your long legs?"

  
Howon just chose this time to be sarcastic.

  


"Oh.. uhn.. Myungs.." He said as he looked at the man behind him for help.

  


"He's just an idiot. Sorry. I'm Kim Myungsoo a.k.a. the Black Cat from the Western Woods Branch of the Black Order. Nice to meet you."

  


He bowed and retreated behind Sungyeol.

  


Dongwoo then clapped his hands excitedly.

  


"Okay, okay!! Now it's our turn. I'm Jang Dongwoo a.k.a T-Rex from the Demon World's Black Order."

  


Upon hearing Dongwoo is from the Demon World, the four men became stiff and their hands automatically went to their belts, where the standard demon stunner is placed hanging.

  


Dongwoo backed up and was flustered. Howon was about to defend him but Sungjong got to it first.

  


"Look. Dongwoo and I are demons, yes. I'm a Nephilim and Dongwoo is the son of the Supreme Lord. We are also agents of the Black Order and we would appreciate it if you won't treat us as someone who is your enemy. We were asked to be here by the Supreme Lord himself because he thinks, he _knows_ , our abilities are needed. Especially the demon we're going to fight against is something that you are not that much aware of."

  


The four men then muttered an apology as their hands went back to their side.

  


"So he's Dongwoo, and I'm Lee Sungjong. And the idiot over here is Lee Howon a.k.a. Hoya-"

  


Howon was shook as someone, well Woohyun grabbed his hands and looked at him with pure admiration and surprise.

  


"Wait, you're Hoya? THE Hoya?"

  


He looked around him and was also surprised when he was met with mirrored expressions from the other three.

  


"Uh, yes. My codename is Hoya and I am from the Central Woods Branch of the Black Order which is here, you know this place where we're staying?"

  
Rivulets of sweat are beginning to form as Howon struggles to form words that won't be of embarrassment.

  


Woohyun on the other hand gripped his hand tighter and then jumped up and down excitedly. An action which reminds him of Dongwoo's carefree way of living, just like a child.

  


He released his grip and then turned to his friends. Well, Howon supposed Sunggyu and Woohyun are friends considering the incident earlier.

  


"Sunggyu. Wow. Look at that! It's him. It's really him!"

  


Sunggyu, on the other hand, just remained stoic while Woohyun kept on babbling like a kid.

  


"Hey, uh Woohyun. Why are you so..?" He put on a confused face as he doesn't really know why the new kid is excited upon knowing his nickname.

  


"Oh, sorry. Well we've always thought of you as something like a hero."

  


"We? You mean the four of you?"

  


Woohyun nodded.

  


"We heard of the story of a 10-year old boy from the Central Woods Branch who single-handedly defeated the Hellhound. Like dude! My dad said a single Hellhound could be killed by a group of 3 to 5 grown-up agents but you on the other hand... And you're just a little kid at that time! I mean, wow!" Woohyun at a loss for words just clapped his hands now

  


"Well, it was purely out of luck." He said, shrugging it off and pretending he wasn't almost killed at that time.

  


He was only 10 years old when the Board assigned him to defeat the Hellhound all alone. It took everything in him to actually find the killing spot of the demon. And thanks to his high level of Psychic Power, he was able to return home alive.

  


"Luck saves you but it doesn't make you kill a demon. Everyone who heard your story admired the 10 year old kid whose Psychic Power is greater than most grown-ups' .

  


"Well, thank you, I guess?" Howon said, unsure of what to say in situations like this.

  


They were interrupted by the sound of the Nighttime Buzz.

  


"Oh, what's that?" Sungyeol asked, curious.

  


"That means it's bedtime. We have to go to our own quarters and catch some sleep."

  


"That's really ideal. What if demons decide to attack while everyone's asleep then?" Sunggyu asked

  


Howon is not sure but it seems to him that Sunggyu garners a personal vendetta against him. He feels like Sunggyu is just waiting for a time where he really makes a stupid mistake to just watch and laugh at him nonstop.

  


"Well, what's the use of the alarm, Mr. Smartass? Every agent is trained to have hyper senses even when asleep. I'm sure you already know that seeing as you're an agent too. Also, my uncle strongly believes that even though we're higher than the ordinary people, we are still humans who need sleep . Does that answer your question, Smartypants?"

  


Howon smirked as Sunggyu fumed in silent anger, his eyes staring daggers at him. Well, if looks could kill, he would've been dead now.

  


However his smirk was replaced by a frown when Woohyun went to Sunggyu's side and held his hand, as if calming him. His hands twitched when Sunggyu looked his way and actually had the nerve to smirk at him!

  


"But what about that demon we're fighting against? Aren't you going to tell us about it?" Sungyeol asked out of the blue as they were heading to their sleeping quarters.

  


"We'll tell you about it tomorrow, Sungyeol. Promise." Sungjong said and he smiled!

  


He smiled at a person who he just met today! Sungjong never smiled at him until they knew each other for one year already! It took him that much time and now..

  
Howon just shook his head. This is not the time for this. Sungyeol then nodded his head and smiled with his gums showing.

  


"So where are you guys planning to sleep? Did the High Priest give you keys to your own sleeping quarters?" Howon asked as he saw his own room a few steps ahead.

  


The four stopped walking and three pairs of eyes all went straight to Sunggyu.

  


"What? Why are you staring at me?" Sunggyu said, flustered at the weight of the stares.

  


"You're the oldest among us. The High Priest must've given it to you, right?" Myungsoo spoke for once after his introduction.

  


"Well yes, I'm the oldest. But I received no key of any sort! Woohyun, how about you?"

  


"I wouldn't have asked you if I have it." Woohyun rolled his eyes at the stupid question thrown at him.

  


"Well you could be playing a game once again and tricking us into thinking we don't have anywhere to sleep!"

  


"That would be Sungyeol. You know I grew out of that tricking stage already!" Woohyun's face is now red, whether with embarrassment or anger, Howon and the rest won't know.

  


"Why am I being dragged into this Nam?! I don't know anything about a key, okay?!"

  


The three were now blaming each other, shouting at each other's faces while Myungsoo just hid his face behind his hand, embarrassed!

  


"If you won't stop this minute, I'm going to take your soul and feed on it."

  


The cold voice which came with the threat from the Nephilim is enough to make them silent once again.

  


As much as they know, Sungjong may be an agent of the Black Order, but he is still a demon. A Nephilim who, as he wishes, could take one's soul anytime.

  


"So to be clear, the High Priest didn't give any of you a key?" Howon asked.

  


The four just shook their head.

  


"Oh I know! How about you share the room with us! Howon's room is big enough to accommodate the seven of us!" Dongwoo clapped his hand and smiled from ear to ear as if it was the greatest idea ever. Which is not far from the truth.

  


Then everyone turned to Howon, eyes asking for permission to stay in his room.

  


"As if I have any other choice." He sighed and walked ahead of them towards his room.

  


He then opened it and made a gesture of welcoming his guests.

  


Dongwoo, Sungyeol, Sungjong and Myungsoo came in first. Then they were followed by Woohyun who stopped by in front of him and gave him a warm smile.

  


He went close to Howon's ear and whispered his thanks. Howon just nodded and was red all over the face, especially his ears. Woohyun then went inside, followed by a brooding Sunggyu who is staring daggers at him as he made his way inside the room.

  


What the heck is wrong with that Sunggyu? He's acting like a child whose toy was taken away from him or something.

  


He just shook his head and then got inside and locked the door. Dongwoo made it his task to "tour" the four around his room.

  


Howon just went straight to the bathroom and took a shower. By the time he got out, the others are already passed out on makeshift beds placed on the floor. All except for a certain charmer.

  


"Hey, why are you still up?" He asked Woohyun who was busy staring at the ceiling. His neck snapped when he turned to Howon and the latter could only guess how painful that was.

  


"Uh sorry. It's just that.. this is a first, you know?" He sat up and removed the arm of Sunggyu which is wrapped around his torso.

  


Howon just gave a noncommital hum since he doesn't really know what he's talking about.

  


"Sunggyu and the rest, we've been friends since we were little. Our parents belong to the guild that speaheaded the attacks against the escapees two decades ago."

  


Howon just nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed, facing Woohyun and waiting for him to speak again.

  


"This is the first time we've been assigned together in one mission. And I- even though I don't know what demon it is just yet, I know it's not something that can be defeated easily. Otherwise, why would the Organization gather their best agents just to defeat this single demon?" Woohyun stifled a yawn and Howon thinks he never saw something as cute as that.

  


"The truth is, I only knew about this demon a few hours ago. They're not extensively discussed inside the Training classes since the records left were not enough. But I'm sure Dongwoo and Sungjong will tell as about this Incubi more. We could do it. We could defeat this demon, trust me."

  


He doesn't even know why but somehow, he ended up assuring Woohyun of their mission's outcome. And he has no regret especially when its payback is Woohyun's sweet smile.

  


"Thank you, Howon. It's just that.. Ah nevermind. Let's go to sleep now before it gets too late. Goodnight, Howon."

  


He then wrapped his blanket up to his chin and lay down sideways, facing Sunggyu. However, the flash of sadness that passed on Woohyun's eyes did not come unnoticed by Howon.

  


He wants to ask him what's bothering him. He wants to make him spill everything he's thinking of and about. But perhaps when they're close enough. And maybe he'll also tell him his story.

  


He stared at Woohyun's back for a few seconds before he plopped down on his bed and had a dreamless sleep.

  
-  


It's already morning and everyone is lining up to get their breakfast. On the last part of the line are the seven men who just got acquainted last night.

  


No one is talking as they were in much need of energy. All except Dongwoo who kept on talking about everything and nothing all at once. No one seems to mind, though only Myungsoo, Sungyeol and Sungjong had the heart to just nod at everything Dongwoo says.

  


He felt a tap on his shoulder and his heart sped, thinking it was Woohyun but when he turned he was met by a glaring Sunggyu.

  


So early in the morning and he looks like a grumpy old man.

  


"What?" He asked.

  


"What do you know about the Incubi?" Sunggyu whispered to him. He doesn't even know why the other is whispering when they could actually and openly talk about it in here.

  


He decided to humor him and whispered back.

  


"Nothing much. I just learned about them yesterday, well, except those I've learned from class. Why?"

  


Sunggyu leaned forward once again, intending to whisper once again when Woohyun cut him off.

  


"Ya, Kim Sunggyu! What are you doing to Howonie this time?"

  


_Howonie.._

  


His ears turned red at the nickname given by Woohyun.

  


"Nothing, Hyun. I was just asking something. Now, now, don't be jealous okay?" Sunggyu came to Woohyun and wrapped his arms around his neck.

  


He was taken aback when Woohyun just laughed and even wrapped his arms around Sunggyu's torso.

  


He immediately faced front, away from the sight of Woohyun and Sunggyu's arms wrapped around each other. What irks him more is the reaction of Myungsoo and Sungyeol. As if it was a normal sight for them.

  


He thanked all the gods in heaven when it was his turn and he immediately walked ahead with an excuse of looking for a table for all of them. When he found one, he sat down and waited for the others.

  


The breakfast with all seven of them is nothing out of the ordinary. It even looks like they've known each other for a long time because jokes were thrown back and forth. However when everyone finished their food, the table became silent as well as the whole dining hall. Agents are slowly milling out and going on in their respective schedules until all that's left are Howon and his teammates.

  


"So, these Incubi.. mind telling us about them?" Sunggyu broke the silence and directed his question to Dongwoo and Sungjong.

  


Dongwoo amd Sungjong stared at each other and the latter nodded at the other.

  


"Incubi as you have probably learned in school are nightmare spirits that feed on human energies. They're mostly found meddling with human's dreams and raping them. Although sometimes they attack even while people are awake. They turn reality into dreams.

  


As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks back, Guards from the Central Woods were attacked by this demon. 

But the thing is, it wasn't the demon itself."

  


Myungsoo and Sungyeol just nodded in understanding. Woohyun on the other hand looks thoughtful.

  


"I think every Guard from all the branches who were guarding the gates were attacked the same way. But what do you mean by it wasn't the demon itself?"

  


Sungjong was the one who answered this tine.

  


"The Incubus is a strong demon that even its malice could cause such damage. The thing is, in my opinion, the attacks happening around are not made by the Incubus himself. It's just his grudge."

  


Woohyun just nodded even though his face still displays confusion.

  


"So how do we defeat this demon? The elders said this demon was defeated once. It can't be that difficult to defeat him again right?"

  


"Only if we have a Dream Guard. But even if we have a Dream Guard, defeating an incubus will never be easy."

  


"Okay, hold up. What's a Dream Guard?" Sungyeol raised his arms up, as if in surrender.

  


Everyone looked around for answers and it somehow landed on Howon. So he answered with what he learned from his uncle yesterday.

  


"According to the High Priest, Dream Guards are people who can alternate between the dream and reality. That said, he can go to the Incubus' territory which is an advantage compared to us ordinary agents. They are also said to have the highest Psychic Power. However, the last of them was extinguished during a fight with the Incubus, which I think is the same one we're fighting right now."

  


Dongwoo nodded and supplied even more.

  


"My father, the Supreme Lord told me before that the Incubus was only ever captured and imprisoned though tbe Dream Guard's sacrifice. He used up all his Psychic Power when he locked the Incubus which in turn made him vanish into nothingness."

  


"So you're implying that the reason why this Incubus managed to escape his prison is because the Psychic Power of that Dream Guard has significantly weakened? Didn't you have excellent researchers in your world? Haven't you found something that could've prevented this demon's escape?"

  


Sunggyu doesn't care if it looks like he's blaming everything on the Demon's World's security network, he just wants to know the whys and hows of this incident.

  


"Excuse me but are you saying this could've been prevented by the Supreme Lord?" Howon slammed his hands on the table. It's one way to annoy him but to accuse his friends of something no one could've known beforehand is a different matter.

  


Dongwoo held his arm and pulled the hem of his shirt down just so he'd sit down once again. He looked over Dongwoo and he's wearing one of his smiles again, as if trying to coax him to calm down.

  


"The thing is, Sunggyu, no one could've prevented it. Even the Clairvoyance team didn't see it coming. All they knew is darkness was looming ahead. According to them, they only saw a bloodbath."

  


"An evil sign...an ominous beginning. The yarn of fate starts spinning."

  


Everyone turned to Sungjong.

  


"That's what the Clairvoyant agent told me. However when I asked her to elaborate, she said she can't. It's against the law of their craft. It's not good to tell everything about what the future has in store and that that's the biggest burden their gift will ever give them." Sungjong explained as he looked at everyone's confused expressions.

  


They then all nodded, although it still doesnt make much sense to them. They were about to continue talking when their in-ears simultaneously beeped and an order for them to be in the High Priest's office came.

  


They then hurriedly disposed their trash and went to the office. Sunggyu was the one who knocked and opened the door once they heard the High Priest's voice telling them to come in.

  


They lined up side by side and faced the High Priest.

  


Jungyeop had his hands on top of his table, fingers interlaced.

  


"So, I'm guessing you already know each other?" His eyebrow raised as he looked at them one by one and stopped at Howon.

  


"Yes, sir." Howon replied.

  


"Okay then. Now sit down. Your mission specifics are already here."


	2. The Middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm sorry for the shitty summary but if you happen to read this then please accept my heart. Thank you for giving this story a chance! Ilysm~ ㅠㅠ and uh I'll edit it when i have the chance again..

The room was so silent that you could have heard the proverbial pin drop; everyone holding their breath, just waiting.

  
"Can you lot please sit down? I don't want you to get tired while hearing me out. Go on, sit." The High Priest ushered the agents to take a seat on the plush leather sofa.

  
When everyone was seated (all except the High Priest), Jungyeop gave each of them a Manila folder with the seal of Black Order imbued in the front page.

  
The High Priest gestured for them to open it.

  
"You already know the demon we're fighting against as I've already told you yesterday. Based on the data we've gathered from older agents who lived from this demon's attacks two decades ago, this Incubus is a hard opponent even for the seven of you.The Incubus can turn reality into a dream with just a simple touch of his finger.

And because it is a nightmare spirit, one of its powers is shape shifting. There were claims of other agents who saw the demon in different forms, thus making us believe that there are a lot of them when in fact, there is only one. What's more is that the Incubus can have offsprings from their victims. This demon's offspring is called a Dream Baby."

 

_Dream Baby_.

  
All of them let the words roll off their tongue. Faces are marked with total confusion.

  
"Dream Babies are just like the Incubus, but their method is different. They use their long tongues to eat fragments of reality and excretes these through their poop as a part of a dream."

  
"Sir, what happens if an agent is victimized by the Incubus?"

  
Jungyeop looked taken aback by Howon's curiosity. His eyes went large and his face was hesitant.

  
"Hmm that depends. The Elders say that if an Incubus chose an agent with a High Psychic Power, Dream Babies become evolved. They acquire skin and flesh like any other kid. Except they can shift between reality and the dream."

  
A series of woahs was heard across the room.

  
"If this is true then... Are Dream Guards half-Incubus and half-human?" Myungsoo asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

  
"Well, yes and no. The thing is, this theory isn't proven just yet. As it is, the Dream Guards that ever existed in the whole history of Black Order are from two ordinary agents, no hints of Incubus interference. So I guess a Dream Guard isn't really a half-half. Okay, back to the topic at hand."

  
Jungyeop flipped to the second page of the file.

  
"So as you can see in here, over the past few days there have been hundreds of husbands who sought the help of marriage counselors for their wives' sudden change of behavior. The Black Order's team of researchers gathered these data and to be frank, if I was not the High Priest I would have thought this is out of our league.

The hundreds aforementioned was only from one district. And since the researchers did a nationwide study, the actual scope grew exponentially. It is a good thing therefore that our researchers made further efforts into categorizing the possible causes of this rift in relationships thus making the numbers significantly lessen. However these numbers are scattered into three different regions."

  
The High Priest stopped talking and looked into each of the agents' eyes, prompting them to ask a question.

  
"So does that mean we'll be grouped and assigned to different districts?"  
Sunggyu asked, his right hand raised on the air.

  
"Very good question. As expected from this troop's designated leader." Jungyeop clapped once which made Sunggyu's ears turn red from embarrassment. Howon only spared a glance at him and then returned his attention to the High Priest, who coughed before resuming his talk.

 

"Well because of theuncertainty of the demon's location, we will be dividing you into groups to further investigate the whereabouts of the Incubus. Go and observe the couples who are in the list that I'll be giving you later on. And if ever you make certain that the demon is in your area, call for backup immediately.

 

I repeat, call for backup immediately. Don't go there all alone. As I've said, it's difficult to defeat the Incubus. But if the seven of you work together, then maybe there's a chance that we will be able to obliterate the said demon."

 

"But sir, What if there is an immediate need for action? Would we still wait for the backups to arrive?" Howon asked his uncle.  
Jungyeop looked deep in thought, his hands on his chin as he probably calculated the risks and rewards.

  
"Well, yes and no. If it's a matter of life and death of many people, then yes, you may not wait for backup. But if the only life threatened is that of the husband or the wife, then wait. Request for backup and wait."  
Everyone became silent.

  
They can't see how there's no need for immediate action even if its only one life they can help. They were taught to value each person's life. Heck, they even swore an oath to protect the ordinary humans first before themselves.

  
"Sir, we took an oath-"

  
"To hell with that oath! I can't afford losing even one of you just for a single measly human life." Jungyeop screamed and Howon was taken aback. It didn't sound like his uncle at all.

  
His uncle always reminded him of the oath agents took. To always protect. To always place human security before personal comfort and safety.

  
Jungyeop was huffing from anger and they couldn't do anything but to stare at the High Priest. He took deep breaths and managed to calm himself down.

  
"Don't .. don't get me wrong. I myself have always valued human life. However with the circumstance we're in, I can't do the same thing. This demon, this Incubus is capable of fully destroying the whole human race! And the seven of you are the only people who ever have a chance to win against it. If saving your life would mean letting one or two ordinary people die, then I'll gladly take the risk. I'll take the responsibility. My top priority and the Board's is the safety of the whole human race."

  
Howon casted his head down, unable to see the burning conviction in his uncle's eyes.

The room was quiet once again save for the flipping of the pages contained in the file given by the High Priest.

 

"So, uh, Sir. How will we be divided?" Howon heard Woohyun's voice near whisper.

  
"Oh, that." Jungyeop replied. "So far, there are three areas which are most numbers of affected couples according to the survey. So you will be divided into three groups."

  
"But there's seven of us." Sungyeol managed to say.

  
"I am well aware of that Mr Lee. As it is, there will be two groups consisting of two people and one which will have three. It's up to your leader to which areas to assign you on."

  
"But the groups-"

  
"Yeah, I keep forgetting. Uh, there's a tiny paper stuck somewhere between the file you're holding right now. It's color coded so the grouping is totally done randomly. Now, go look for that paper and see which group you belong to."

  
Howon sighed and started to look for a piece of paper. Everyone did the same and all that can be heard is the flipping of papers.  
One more flip and he saw a small square of red paper.

He looked around and watched as Dongwoo and Sungjong both got green papers. He sighed once again. Seems like he'll be grouped with the others. If only it is Woohyun.

  
"Woah. Howonie, we're in the same group!"

Howon leaned back from the sudden attack of red paper in front of his face and closed his eyes. He may or may not be hallucinating right now but dear gods please let it be Woohyun.

  
He slowly opened his left eye and was met with the dazzling smile of Woohyun.

  
<i>Lucky. Wow. </i>

  
"I'm joining you, Woohyun."

  
<i> Or maybe not. </i>

  
He looked sideways and watched as Sunggyu made his way to Woohyun. The latter then high-fived and half-hugged him. Howon mumbled some incoherent words out of spite.

  
The High Priest cleared his throat and every one resumed to their seats.

  
"Okay, so we have Sungjong and Dongwoo, Myungsoo and Sungyeol, and wow, this is a power team! Sunggyu, Woohyun and Howon. Hmmm now Leader Kim, where will you assign the teams?"

  
Without any second thoughts, Sunggyu announced that his three-men group will be assigned to the area with the topmost probability of the demon's location. Sungjong and Dongwoo on the second and the third to Myungsoo and Sungyeol.

 

The High Priest then concluded the meeting with the issuance of specific area information. They were dismissed and was reminded that they'll depart tonight at 7 o'clock.

 

  
It was already 6 o'clock in the evening and Howon and the rest are all prepared for their mission.

  
Howon fidgeted over the hem of his shirt as he sat across Woohyun and Sunggyu who were talking animatedly.

  
Woohyun tried to include him in their conversations but shithead Sunggyu always hog the other's attention all for himself. He leaned on his seat and glanced at the other agents.

  
Dongwoo and Sungjong were both talking to each other seriously and he can't help but wonder what they're talking about. He glanced at his teammates in front of him and then just shrugged as he thinks his presence isn't really needed there as of the moment.

 

He walked to where his two friends are and plopped beside them.

  
"So..."

  
Both of them were quiet when he sat down so he took the initiative to spark a conversation only because they were his friends and they're more knowledgeable of this demon as they lived in the same world with him. Or it.

  
"What do you know about the Dream Baby?"  
He asked them because he noticed that both of them became silent and kept on exchanging secret glances at each other when the High Priest talked about it.

  
"Well... it's just that.. we don't get why the High Priest lied earlier about Dream Babies and Dream Guards." Dongwoo stated, his head bowed as his hands scratch some invisible itches on his nape.

  
He might've thought Howon might get angry for accusing his uncle for such a petty crime. But Howon knew Dongwoo and he wouldn't just recklessly spout some serious stuff if he doesn't know anything about it.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"He means Dream Babies from agents with really high Psychic Power grows up and become Dream Guards when they have enough control of their powers. I- we knew this from a Dream Guard, two decades ago."

  
"Okay, hold up. The last part I can believe Sungjong actually did but Dongwoo? Aren't you just 22 years old? How can you talk to a dream guard when you were barely just two years old at that time?" Howon for a lack of better word , was astonished.

  
"Eh did I forget to tell you, or you didn't just remember? Anyway, a year in the Demon World is equivalent to two and a half years in the Human World. Therefore two decades ago in Human realtime, I met a Dream Guard and became friends with her when I was 24 years old in human age."

  
"Her?? There's a female Dream Guard?"

  
"Of course. There are five pretty Dream Guards in the history. The last one of these five is our friend, Ms. Shauna. She was the one who told us that she's an offspring of an Incubus and a human agent."

  
"But I don't get it. If that's the case, wouldn't uncle Jungyeop know?"

  
"I dunno. He's the High Priest for only twenty one years so maybe he wasn't aware just yet?" Dongwoo supplied for him.

  
"Why? What happened to the previous High Priest?"

  
"He was murdered. It turns out, he was the main target all along. He was busy commanding the troops that he didn't notice the Incubus taking charge on him just behind him. The agents especially the Dream Guard, Ms. Shauna, loved the High Priest so much and has put him on a pedestal. He was very well respected and his death caused Ms. Shauna to rage and only think of defeating the demon."

  
"And that is to be in the dream realm and cast all her psychic power to imprison the demon." Sungjong finished for him.

  
"But these Dream Guards... How do they usually defeat the Incubus?"

  
"I don't know. Seriously Howon. I would've told you earlier if I knew but then again we don't have a Dream Guard. Or do we?"

Sungjong stared straight at him and Howon felt like the other was staring right at his soul.

  
"No, we don't.", Sunggyu interrupted.

Apparently, everyone in the room had their attention at them.

  
"Then we'll just have to fight with everything we've got. Together, we can defeat this demon. Am I right or am i correct?" Sungyeol cheerfully added.

  
All of them laughed and everyone left to their destination with light hearts.

 

 

  
On the ride West, Sunggyu, Woohyun and Howon sat on the backseat of the van. At the back were instruments that the Black Order has used time and again to extract demons and temporarily imprison them. There were also solutions that could erase the demons' traces in the human world which were a gift from the excellent scientists of the Demon World. The drive was silent as they were thinking of all the possible situations that they will encounter.

 

At some point, Woohyun dozed off and Howon noticed how his head is about to land on his shoulder. He held his breath and waited. His heart beats fast as he caught a whiff of vanilla on the other's hair.

  
Just when it was only a couple of inches from his shoulder, a hand appeared on Woohyun's left cheek and carefully pulled his head on Sunggyu's shoulder. Sunggyu acted like there's nothing wrong with what he did. He just stroke Woohyun's hair and continued staring out at the window.

  
Howon just made a silent revolt through glaring at their leader.

  
It took them a good 4 hours before they finally arrived at their destination. They were ushered by the designated driver to the place where they'll be staying.

  
Howon looked up and was amazed as he saw buildings which do not look like suites or condos or anything that can actually accommodate them. He looked at the other two and was relieved that they also have a look of confusion in their face.

  
They followed the driver inside a bookstore and went upstairs. The second floor of the building just looks like a normal one. Or so they thought until the driver opened the door on the right corner.

  
They entered and were astounded when they saw the room stretch to a length which is bigger than the actual size of the building as they saw outside.

  
Equipments were then placed on shelves and atop tables all over the room.

 

The luring of the possible victims are easy.

The Black Order requested the marriage counselors to refer the clients to them so they could determine if there's demon interference in their relationship. The hard part is not the fact that they are going to test all 30 women with their equipments. It's about what they'll do if they ever find the demon lurking in this area.

  
Once everything was settled down, they heard the ringing of a doorbell, presumably their office's. They stood straighter and Woohyun went to open the door. Howon watched as Woohyun carefully touched the husband's bare arm and saw the man's eye droop drowsily.

  
His wife on the other hand looks so annoyed and looks like she just wanted to be anywhere than her husband's side.

  
Woohyun lead the couple to the table where Howon sat.

  
"Good.. good morning." The husband greeted when he finished yawning.

  
The wife rolled her eyes at his husband and just nodded at Howon in greeting.

  
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Uhm. I've heard about your problem. I wouldn't ask you to tell me as I've already been briefed by your previous marriage counselor. We will be performing a special examination on your wife, Sir so if you could just be patient enough to sit on the sofa on the right. You can doze off too if you want. This won't take long."

  
The husband just nodded and made his way to the sofa. It didn't take a whole minute before the man started snoring.

  
Woohyun and Howon then stood up and lead the wife to the next room where Sunggyu was waiting, on his hands is a vial containing violet liquid.

  
"Mrs. Uhm, please drink this so we can finish this faster." Sunggyu offered. Mrs. Uhm was about to protest but Woohyun was quick on his feet. He gently touched the woman's exposed arm and the latter was visibly shaken.

  
Sunggyu put the vial on Mrs. Uhm's hand and told her to finish it in one gulp. Howon caught the woman as she swayed and fainted after drinking the liquid.

  
The liquid is supposed to induce heavy sleep on whoever drinks it. Thus making their job easier.

  
They then laid Mrs. Uhm on the table in front of them. After making sure the woman is in a comfortable position all hands become busy as they activated the instruments inside the room. Low whirring sounds can be heard as the equipments turn to life.

  
They set the frequency at a minimum first, so as to not hurt the woman in case she was not a victim of the Incubus. After setting it all up, all they have to do now is wait.

  
The maximum amount of time they have set up is ten minutes so when the time ran out and Mrs. Uhm was still peacefully sleeping, the three of them looked at each other and sighed.

  
After all, this is only the first of all 30 couples they're going to investigate.

  
Sunggyu ordered Howon to carry the woman to where his husband is first. He carefully laid her next to him and then, Woohyun leaned in and placed a small vial under the couple's noses. They woke up with a start and was looking around confused.

  
Howon just smiled at them and said,  
"Thank you for coming. You can get through this. Based on what I heard from you guys, you were really in love with each other. So I believe that this will just pass on, this is just a phase on your relationship. That is all. The exit is that way." He gestured at the door and the couple, still confused, just bowed at them and headed straight to the door.

 

  
The day was unproductive. So far they've entertained 15 clients and all of them were just under some problems completely unrelated to demons.

  
Everyone was so tired . They kept looking at the clock. They still have one client left for today but the couple is late for 10 minutes already. They were ready to call it a day and continue tomorrow when a knock was heard.  
Sunggyu gestured Woohyun to get up from the couch where the three of them were sitting. He then got up himself and went to the next room again. Howon went back to his table.

  
Howon's nape tingled when the couple entered. There is something so different with this couple. He looked at Woohyun and saw that the other did not seem to notice something.

  
He looked at the wife and stared. Unlike the other women who came here earlier, this woman right now just have a blank look in her face. Her husband's face is very troubled and bordering angst as he lead her wife to a chair.

  
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Chu. May I ask why you were late?"

  
The husband turned red in embarrassment and scratched his ear.

  
"My wife kinda blanked out earlier and I was worried. I kept on shaking her and waving my hands in front of her face and it took almost 10 minutes before she started noticing me. So uh, what do we have to do? Can you bring back my wife to me?" The man said and stared at him.

 

Howon finds it hard to stare at the man's teary eyes so he just nodded.

  
"If everything goes well, then I'm sure she'll be back in no time Sir."

  
Woohyun was about to wipe that same substance he sneakily put on the other husbands but Howon stopped him. For some reason, he wants the husband to know what's exactly wrong with his wife. This man deserves to know the truth at the very least.

  
"If you could please come with me, Sir, Madam." Howon got up from his seat and went to the next room.

 

When Sunggyu noticed the presence of the husband, he was about to protest and tell Woohyun to let him out to sleep but Howon was firm. He told Sunggyu to just let the man watch.

 

Sunggyu must've noticed something different with Howon because he did not make any further arguments. Instead, he gave the vial to the wife and asked her to drink it. The woman drank it without any question.

When she is already laid down on the table, Woohyun asked the husband to move to the side. Howon on the other hand walked to where the equipments are and turned the frequency to a level close to maximum.

  
"What the fuck Lee Howon?!! Do you want to kill the woman? Turn it down right now."

  
"Wait what do you mean??" The husband panicked and looked at Howon for explanations.

  
"She won't be killed. Trust me, the demon is in there."

  
Sunggyu and Woohyun stared at each other. Howon sighed in defeat.

  
"I.. I felt something weird, okay? And whatever happens I'm willing to take full responsibility."

  
It took a few moments before the other two decided to trust Howon's instincts.

  
They all took a few steps back away from the body. A minute later and the equipments were all making loud noises. The agents and the husband watched in awe as a smoke billowed out of the wife's sex organ. In the smoke was a clear depiction of the woman's dream.

  
She's being raped by a monster with a face so horrible. The whole area which Howon supposes is the demon's face is covered with maggots and other insects. Its hands which were on the woman's hips are formed in shapes which defy the existing law of physics.

  
The equipments beeped even louder and they clearly saw the demon stopping his act. He looks around, a gesture of confusion and the woman in the dream slowly began to dissipate which left the demon even more confused.

  
The scene in the dream disappeared and with every second of the equipments' blaring sound, the demon from the dream seemed to materialize.

  
They all know that this isn't the actual Incubus itself but only a grudge of the said demon. So as soon as they think the demon materialized enough to the point where they can physically eliminate him, they attacked.  
Sunggyu was the one who landed a hit first with the demon still kept frozen by the equipments. After hitting he signaled to Woohyun and the latter also charged with his high psychic power. The effect was evident as the demon seemed to lessen in size the moment Woohyun's foot touched its chest.

However the demon seemed to finally adapt with the frequency of the equipments and has now begun to move its body.  
He morphed into different shapes but all in gross conditions. Howon then charged when the demon made an attempt to attack Sunggyu, who was on his way to increase the frequency of the equipments.

  
With great combat skills and a great psychic power (thanks to Namu), they were able to defeat the grudge. They all huffed as they saw a splatter of grey matter on the floor. Woohyun fetched for the Erase™ solution and tipped a single drop. They watched it dissipate in an instant, leaving no other trace of the said demon.

  
They looked at each other and then at the husband, who had a look of terror on his face.

  
"Wh-what was that? What did that thing do to my wife?"

  
Woohyun took the initiative to explain to the poor man.

  
"Sir, that thing you saw earlier is a grudge of the nightmare spirit, Incubus. He rapes women in their dreams. However, your wife is safe now Mr Chu. We've gotten rid of the grudge and we're about to-"

  
He was interrupted when the equipments, which had turned silent once the grudge was extinguished, started blaring loudly once again. Woohyun then covered Mr Chu. and looked at the table.

  
Howon and Sunggyu approached the table warily and both gasped in surprise when they watched something come out from Mrs. Chu.

  
A baby.

  
A Dream Baby.

  
They all watched in unison at the baby who looks like any other baby except that it's covered with a luminescent glow. The baby started crying when it hit the ground. Howon was about to approach it when the baby's long tongue stuck out of its mouth and landed on the floor tile just beside its head.

Their eyes almost bulged out when the baby lifted the tile using its tongue and ate it. It repeated the same process and the agents just looked at each other. At a loss to how they'd treat this current situation.

"L-look!" Mr. Chu shouted and everyone returned their attention to the baby and they saw it poop an unearthly substance.

  
The more it ate, the more it poops.

  
"I see." Sunggyu said out of nowhere.

  
"This Dream Baby eats reality and excretes it into a dream. It's turning our world into a dream! We must stop it."

  
"But how.. QZZ, how?!?"

  
"What do you mean how Namu? Of course we're going to kill it. What else do you have in mind?" Sunggyu half-shouted at Woohyun.

  
"But Sung- QZZ it's a baby!!! You can't kill a baby! Hoya, please"

  
Howon was taken aback when Woohyun turned to him for help. As much as he wanted to help him, there is no other option but to actually kill the Dream Baby before it turns everything into a dream. He just looked down and then waited for any command from Sunggyu.

  
"Hoya, increase the frequency enough to freeze the dream baby for a few seconds. Namu, check on Mrs. Chu. I'll destroy this demon after you do your part Hoya." He then acquired his dagger from his toolbelt and positioned for attack.

  
Woohyun went to Mrs. Chu and checked her vital signs. When he ascertained she was fine, he turned his back from the baby and closed his eyes.

  
Howon increased the frequency and once the baby froze, Sunggyu charged and stuck the dagger on its chest. Because the dagger is made from high Psychic Power and the baby hasn't fully developed just yet, one single strike was enough to kill it.

  
After dropping a single drop of Erase solutions, no traces of evidence are left except for the dream poop from the demon. They don't know what to do with these and they actually tried using Erase solutions but it didn't work.

  
They ended up calling the Central Woods Branch and requested for backup as they think the Incubus is just somewhere in this area. After the call, Sunggyu approached the husband who was left speechless after everything he has witnessed.

  
"Sir, your wife is in a good condition now. She might be dazed for a day or two. She won't have any memory of what happened the whole time she was victimized by the Incubus. I suggest you take good care of her. Rest assured, Mrs. Chu isn't cheating on you."

Sunggyu patted the man on the shoulder and went inside another room where their belongings are placed.

  
Mr. Chu bid goodbye to them when Mrs. Chu finally awoke. He was flabbergasted when the three young men told him not to tell anyone about what happened earlier.

 

As if anyone will believe him!

X

 

A few hours and a good meal later, Howon, Woohyun and Sunggyu were all rubbing their bulging bellies. Food tastes much better after a hard work after all.

  
The Order called them back earlier and has informed them that back-up will arrive shortly. Sungyeol amd Myungsoo is also heading their way to where they are right now.

  
When they asked about the whereabouts of their demon friends, they were told the two of them were requested by the Supreme Lord to do something important.

 

Howon, wanting to know whether his friends were alright decided to video call Dongwoo. He moved to a far corner where they won't be heard by Woohyun and Sunggyu.

  
When the call finally connected, Howon saw the background and realized they're still in the human world.

  
"Oh, Hoya hello~ " Dongwoo greeted him cheerfully though Howon knows something is up when he noticed Dongwoo's pupils are shaking.

"Where are you guys?" He asked.

  
"Ah, actually.. we're still in the Human World. Dad sent an errand for the two of us."

  
"What is it?" Howon was curious. Well, the whole setup was suspicious.

First, the Supreme Lord withdrew the two out of a mission and second, Dongwoo can't meet his eyes which means there's something he's not saying. Something important.

  
"Okay, I'll tell you something. I trust you won't tell anyone okay? Not the other agents. Not even your uncle." Dongwoo said seriously.

  
Howon wondered what is it that he's not allowed to even report to the High Priest. He just nodded at Dongwoo amd the latter released a sigh.

 

"My dad, the Supreme Lord discovered something. The truth is, he was not convinced that the reason why the Incubus escaped is because the Psychic Power surrounding his prison weakened. The Supreme Lord actually out additional security measures in order to prevent the escape of this demon."

 

"You mean someone might've helped the demon escape?" Howon is confused. He can't imagine anyone purposely letting a demon out of its prison.

 

"Yes , that's what my dad believes. The thing is, there are only a few people who knew about these additional security measure. My dad, the researchers and.." Dongwoo hesitated. Somehow, this made him nervous.

 

"And who, Dongwoo?" He asked.

 

"And your uncle, the High Priest." Dongwoo looked at him somberly.

 

"So are you going to start investigating now?"

 

"No, the investigations are all done. We were tasked to confirm their findings." Sungjong broke his silence and answered.

 

"And their findings...?"

 

"There really is a help from the outside to make the demon escape. But I can't tell you who because we have to confirm it first." Sungjong said.

 

"I see. Take care then. And Dongwoo? My Uncle has nothing to do with it right?" He asked desperately. He don't want to taint his uncle's image in his mind.

  
He was only answered by silence so he just sighed and bid them goodbye.

  
He was staring at his phone when he felt someone staring at him. He looked at the direction and saw Sunggyu and Woohyun still talking but what caught his attention is the strange thing on Sunggyu's ears. He stared at it and its little movements confirmed his suspicions.

He marched towards the two and grabbed Sunggyu by the collar. Woohyun quickly stood up and asked him what's wrong.

"This guy... What do you think are you doing, Kim Sunggyu? Since the time you arrived at the Central Woods Branch, you've always had the hots for me. Did I do something wrong to you?"

  
Woohyun just stared at the two, still can't process what's happening. He just can't take side. He's been best friends with Sunggyu since they were kids. And Howon.. he's someone he somehow put on a pedestal.  
Sunggyu just stayed silent and stared at Howon.

 

"Why did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Dongwoo?? What are you up to? Are you a double agent?" Howon still held on to Sunggyu's collar but as soon as he finished asking the last part, he flew back from the impact of Sunggyu's punch.

 

"Hey, guys! Stop it! Can you talk like the civilized humans that we are instead of throwing punches here and there??" Woohyun shouted at them and held them both on arm's length.

 

"You.. how dare you call me a double agent when you and your uncle are probably the ones who sent the demon out from its prison!"

  
Howon was about to throw a punch of his own but Woohyun stood in front of Sunggyu.

 

"Please, Howon. Let's talk this out. And you, Kim Sunggyu, how can spout such irresponsible words? Do you have a proof? Evidence that will support your claim?"

Woohyun turned to his best friend and Howon felt better because it seems like he got him on his side.

 

"I- I don't know. I can't explain it but there's definitely something wrong with him! And his uncle too! It looks like they're hiding something really big from us. It might be a matter of life or death. Our life and death, Woohyunie. Did it never occur to you, even once, that there's something strange with him? I can't pinpoint it but there's definitely something that sets him apart. He's different."

  
Woohyun just stayed silent. The truth is that, the first time they met, he felt something from Howon. Due to his high Psychic Power, it helps him in distinguishing a demon disguising as a human.

  
When he met Howon, he felt the same sensations he feel when a demon is near but faint enough to excuse it as another type of feeling, such as hunger, or a crush.

 

He never told anyone about it, not even Sunggyu because he's afraid the other might misunderstand it and start attacking Howon. However it turns out that even Sunggyu noticed something weird about Howon.

 

"See? I knew you noticed it too. I overheard him talking to Dongwoo and Sungjong at the headquarters before about the Incubus. He seemed so invested, much more invested than all our interests combined. And just now, his uncle is one of the possible suspects who let the demon escape."

 

He grabbed Howon's shoulder and glared at him.

  
"Are you hiding something from us?. Tell us right this sec-" Sunggyu stopped violently shaking Howon's shoulders as he received a punch from none other than Woohyun.

  
"Kim Sunggyu. As much as you are older than me, I won't ever tolerate such reckless behavior. Accusing someone, especially a teammate, of something which you don't have even a speck of solid evidence on is shameful. I know you can be pretty stubborn but I hope you keep your mind open to this issue. Please, let us maintain a sense of trust and confidence with each other. We'll be battling a powerful demon and it would do us no good if we keep on going like this."

 

Howon tried to hide the smirk that is slowly forming on his lips as he watched Sunggyu just staying silent as he rubs his now swollen cheek.

  
Woohyun looks a thousand more attractive in his eyes as muscles rippled through his skintight black T-shirt.

 

Sunggyu then nodded at Woohyun and grumpily went to his bedroom, but not before sparing a glare at Howon.

  
When they heard the click of the bedroom door's lock, both simultaneously sighed. They looked at each other and smiled at the incredulity of the situation. The atmosphere was awkward as they were trying to grasp for words that are appropriate to say.

  
"Hey-"

  
"Hey-"

  
"You first-"

  
"You first-"

  
They both laughed.

  
"You go first, Woohyun." Howon signaled the other to continue talking. The other smiled at him (sweetly, in Howon's delusional mind.)

 

"Uh well Mr. Park, our driver this morning, told me there's a rooftop here with a nice view of the city skyline. Do you, uh, mind if we go there?"

  
Howon chuckled as he saw how red Woohyun's ears and cheeks have become.

 

"Oh sure. That's what I was gonna say actually." He scratched the back of his neck and looked at anywhere other than Woohyun.

 

Without any further ado, they both climbed to the rooftop. There they inhaled fresh air and gawked at the beautiful skyline scenery.

 

The night was silent except for a few passing cars below. Howon just waited for Woohyun to break the silence first.

  
"I'm sorry for everything that Sunggyu said awhile ago."

  
Howon looked at Woohyun but the latter had his eyes looking straight at the skyline.

"I hope you won't take it really personally. It's just that, Sunggyu lost a lot because of the Incubus. You know he's 2 years older than us, right?"

He cast a glance at Howon and saw him nod. He faced front once again.

"21 years ago, a group of demons attacked every branch of the Black Order. His mother and father were among the people who were the best agents at the time, along with my parents and Yeollie's and Myung's and some of their friends too.

They fought side by side when defeating the demon. Sunggyu's parents were so easily trusting. They were lured to their death by a friend. My mom said that the friend who lead them to their death only became friends with his parents for a month. He was supposedly the best agent from the Central Woods, His parents.. his parents were killed by the Incubus."

Howon was surprised to know this. Is that the reason why Sunggyu was wary of him? Because he is from the Central Woods? And they barely knew each other? Is he perhaps afraid that history might repeat itself?

"It took a lot of time before Sunggyu opened up after his parents died. He was only two years old and our parents have been taking turns in taking care of him. That is also the reason why we became close. When my mom told him about the whole story, he was 7 years old then, he closed up once again. It took a year for him to trust me once again. To trust people."

Woohyun gently grabbed Howon's hand and then looked at him.

"Please give him a chance. He's just been through too much when he was a kid. But he's a nice guy, I promise."

He just stared at Woohyun and then at their hands. He felt warmth radiating from the other. His heart beat raced. He let out a sigh and then stared straight at Woohyun's eyes.

"Okay, I trust you." He smiled.

Howon observed Woohyun's eye and mouth forming into a smile in slow motion. He felt the breeze around them swinging gently and his heart beat doubled up speed when he saw the beautiful crescent curve of Woohyun's eyes and his smile.

Woohyun leaned into him and caught him in surprise when the other kissed him on his cheek and hugged him close, one hand still holding his left hand. He felt tingles on his ear and neck when he noticed Woohyun's hot breath fanning him near the ears.

"Thank you, Lee Howon."

He then removed himself from the hug and was about to get up and let go of Howon's hand. However, he was pulled back by Howon. He only managed to look at him because he's afraid words might fail him.

"Let's stay like this a little bit longer." Howon whispered as he looked solely at the ground, afraid of meeting Woohyun's gaze.

Woohyun heard it and just smiled softly. He sat back and just looked at the stars in the sky. They stayed like that for minutes and was interrupted by a heaving Sunggyu.

They instantly removed each other's hands and stood up when they saw panic on the the other's face.

 

"I know where the Incubus is!"


	3. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! Ahyeah~  
> If anyone is interested, this whole story is heavily based on a book written by a japanese author that I've read 5 yrs ago hihi

"Sunggyu, what is it?" Woohyun asked his best friend.

"I- hah- I was watching the tv and a news flash came and- hah- we need to get there ASAP. The demon.. the Incubus is making a show in the central park right this moment."

"What do you mean?" Howon asked.

"I'll explain to you in the car. Just, let's go! Let's hurry up before it becomes harder for us to defeat the demon." He said and then dashed off down the stairs.

The two looked at each other and followed their leader immediately. They went inside their office and gathered all the equipments that they can carry and use against the demon.

They got in the car and Sunggyu drove them to where it was. While driving, Sunggyu relayed the information he got from the television.

"There's a news report about trees in the park turning transparent and the ground looking like the sky. They thought they were dreaming and they might not be wrong. I'm sure the Incubus is behind this. He might've sensed us now, after we killed his grudge and it's baby. He's going to turn our world into a dream!"

The two people at the back are quiet as they absorbed the new information.

"Did anyone from the Black Order contact you?" Sunggyu looked at them through the rearview mirror. They both shook their head in reply.

Sunggyu cursed and bumped hand on the steering wheel.

"Something's not right. How come no one told us about this?" Sunggyu mumbled out of his breath, but loud enough for them to hear.

"How about the rest of the group? And the back-up? They said they'll come here shortly but it's almost two hours since they said that. Did Sungyeol or Myungsoo contact you, Woohyun?"

Woohyun just shook his head and then fumbled for his phone as he tried to contact Yeol. He tried dialing the number and also tried Myungsoo's but he failed. For some reason, he can't reach the two. He looked up at Sunggyu and met his eyes through the rearview mirror.

  
"I can't contact them."

"Shit! This can't be just a coincidence." Sunggyu said as he sped up the car. Howon, on the other hand, called Dongwoo.

He let out a sigh of relief when Dongwoo's face showed up on his screen.

"Hoya, oh dear, I'm glad you're okay. I've been trying to contact you for the past half hour. Uh are you with QZZ and Namu? Yes? Okay,Hoya, look, you need to be careful. We've found out who was behind everything. And we're afraid that he's out to have you killed."

"Why? What do you mean? Who is it? "

"I'm sorry Hoya but it's the High Priest. Your uncle decrypted the additional security measures that my dad laid out and made the Incubus escape through the Dream Channel. I don't know how he controlled the demon but traces of him were found in the Incubus' cell and no one ever went inside the prison cell, not even my dad."

Howon was mad. His veins were popping on his neck as he thought back to the days where his uncle disappears at night everytime they visit the demon world. Was he trying to tame the Incubus then? Maybe. He gripped the closest thing to him, which happened to be a bottle of water.

The car was really silent and tension become almost tangible as Sunggyu was gripping on the steering wheel.

"Howon, I am so sorry but please defeat the Incubus. We'll be the one to handle the High Priest. Though I think we can only do that once the Incubus is gone. We're currently outside a dilapidated building where the High Priest is currently at. Do your best, Hoya! And you too QZZ and Namu. We gotta go. Please come back alive!!!" Dongwoo said and then the screen turned black.

Woohyun saw how Howon was trying to contain his emotions.

Anger, hate but most of all betrayal

These are the emotions that Woohyun can feel from him. He watched as his muscles were all tensed. He reached out his hand and gripped Howon's hand. He wrapped it in both his hands and looked at him.

"I know everything is not okay. But we can do this, Hoya. We have to do this. We have to defeat the Incubus. You could do that right?" Woohyun said in a soothing voice, in hopes of calming down Howon who he thinks is emotionally unstable due to the info from Dongwoo.

  
Howon just closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Later when he felt his heart beat back to normal, he opened his eyes and gave a small smile to Woohyun. He nodded and thanked him.

Just then, the car stopped and Sunggyu turned to them, well more on Howon.

"I know we're not in good terms but we need to cooperate to defeat this demon."

Howon nodded and then Sunggyu started to lay out a plan to defeat the demon. They know they can't kill the demon, they're far from doing it. All they can do now is to take turns casting their Psychic Power to weaken the Incubus. They brought with them a special equipment that Dongwoo's father gave them.

It is a temporary prison that could contain the Incubus for a minute max. So they have to hurry once they caught demon, considering of course that they defeat it first.

They arrived at the park and the place is now deserted. No single soul was found even wandering around the area.

The trio carefully trudged towards the central area where the nightmarish changes were seen.

They've always thought the Incubus is just half a foot taller than the average demons. Seeing the actual size perturbed the three of them.

The Incubus might as well be a giant. The demon is probably at 60-70 feet, standing tall in the center of his creation as things become dreams in a bigger radius.

Sunggyu gestured for them to scatter and hide first. When he determined the demon will stay in position, he nodded to the two and shoot an arrow embedded with enough psychic power to daze the opponent.

When the arrow hit the demon on his back, it froze for awhile and Sunggyu deemed it safe enough to land his first attacks.

However, the demon caught sight of him and turned back to face him. Sunggyu was frozen as the arrow was supposed to stun the demon for at least a couple of minutes. The demon moved his arm as if to swat him but Woohyun was fast and saved him.

"Sunggyu, be careful okay?" He just nodded and faced the demon once again. Howon is currently attacking the demon at the back with various weaponry.

"Let's go." Woohyun nodded at him. They then charged the demon together.

The one who has the most impact on their attacks is Woohyun since he has the highest psychic power of the three. Every time he attacks with his blade, he releases his own Psychic Power thus visibly weakening the demon.

After some time of endlessly attacking the demon, they were able to survive without any serious injuries. Sunggyu then threw the sphere at the demon when he figured it can't fight back anymore.

Once it was captured, he hurriedly looked for Teleportation stone specially made from the demon world to get the demon to its permanent prison quick.

Howon and Woohyun watched as Sunggyu rummaged through his tool belt pockets for the stone. He's sure he put it inside before they left the Central Woods Branch.

"Hurry up, QZZ. We only have a minute before this demon recharge its energy and break out of this temporary prison!" Woohyun shouts at Sunggyu.

"Calm down, Namu. We shouldn't rush him, he'll panic." Howon held Woohyun's arm that was now holding the spherical prison.

Sunggyu let out a series of expletives as he continued searching for the stone.

"Are you perhaps looking for this?"

The trio turned at the familiar voice and was shocked when they saw the High Priest holding the glowing Teleportation stone.

"How did you-"

Sunggyu stopped asking as he remembered how Jungyeop hugged each one of them before they went inside their cars. Perhaps, he didn't travel with the stone from the start because Jungyeop stole it.

"I am so sorry, my dear nephew." Jungyeop looked at Howon who is fuming in anger.

"I do not have a snake for an uncle!" Howon shouted. In his head, he's actually devising a plan to get the stone before their one minute is up.

"Isn't that too mean, Howonie? After all, I was the one who raised you. I'm like your father, aren't I?" Jungyeop jeered at him.

"Oh well, time is almost up. I'll just leave you be. Good luck on defeating the Incubus!" Jungyeop was about to walk away but Woohyun's question made him stop.

"Where are Sungyeol and Myungsoo? What did you do to them?"

"Uh nothing much. I just sent them somewhere far from here so if they ever find this place, you're probably gone by that time." He let out an evil laugh, which unnerved Howon.

  
This is not the same man who had raised him. This is not the same man who he treated as a father.

"Why?" He asked quietly. Jungyeop heard it and looked at hi.m.

"Why did you do that? What made you do that? You're not like this Uncle. Please, return to who you really are!"

A boisterous laughter was heard from the man.  
"Did it perhaps never occurred to you Howon that this is who I am? That I've only been pretending all this time? But now, I can be myself. I can revert to my true self."

Howon was appalled.

"As for the reason why, I'll tell you after you defeat the demon. That is, if it doesn't kill you first. Ciao!" He started walking backward and waved at them, taunting them.

They were all so focused on Jungyeop that no one noticed the Incubus' hand coming out of the sphere. Only when they heard a choking sound did they realize that the demon has finally escaped its temporary prison.

The sound came from Woohyun who is currently choked by the hand. Sunggyu was about to stab it with his dagger but he was swatted away bh the Incubus.

Howon for some reason was stuck on the ground. His feet felt like lead. He watched as Sunggyu flew and hit the rocks with a crash.

His eyes bulged when the demon returned to its full size and he saw Woohyun's body struggling in the air. He noticed his body slowly becoming transparent until it completely disappeared. But as fast as it did, Howon saw it blink back into existence. So when Sunggyu limped towards him and asked in a panicked voice about Woohyun, he just pointed to where Woohyun's body is.

"Don't joke around, Hoya! Where is Namu? Where is Woohyunie? Gods, where is he?" Sunggyu asked and looked around frantically in search for Woohyun.

"QZZ, he's there in front of the Incubus. Can't you see it? He's-" he squinted to see what is happening to Woohyun.

He screamed when he noticed Woohyun was being raped in his dream, his face contorted in so much pain.  
It teared his heart to see Woohyun in such pain that he forgets the fact his legs felt like lead and just straight uo jumped to where Woohyun is.

Two pairs od eyes widened in surprise as they saw how Hoya jumped ONCE to where the demon is and just disappeared. The demon on the other hand was frozen, completely unmoving.

  
"No way... No way. It can't be." Jungyeop said as he shook his head.

"This can't be real." He convinced himself. He blinked a lot of times and rubbed his eyes for good measure.

"This is where it ends , Jungyeop."

He looked back and gasped when he felt a sting on hus neck.

Sungjong is still holding the needle h3carefully stuck at the High Priest's nerve to make him immobile for awhile.

"It might be surprising for you. Not knowing that even after all your careful plans, the boy whom you raised will bring an end to all that you've worked so hard for."

"Is Howon-"

Dongwoo cuffed Jungyeop's hands. The latter just looks resigned, lost the motivation to move any further.  
"Yes, Jungyeop. Hoya's a Dream Guard."

  
X  
After Howon landed near Woohyun, he immediately released a high frequency of his own Psychic Power to Woohyun to wake him up from his nightmare.

When he succeeded in waking Woohyun up, he stood up and took the time to look around him.

Various things were floating around them. It looks like a vast space of uncertain things. There were things scattered around. There were unicorns, leprechauns and there are faceless monsters roaming around but nowhere close to them.

They are in the Dream World.

"How did you get here, Hoya?"  
Woohyun knew they were in another dimension the moment he saw the floating things around him and the never ending darkness surrounding the area.

"I- I don't know. I just.. i saw you in pain and I- I heard you call my name. I flew immediately in hopes of getting to where you are and saving you. I'm just glad I did."

"Thank you, Hoya. I owe you my life." Woohyun hugged Hoya out of gratitude. For a moment, Howon forgot the danger of the situation they're in.

Only for a moment though as they felt strips of clothing wrapped around their body. Howon panicked when the clothing wrapped around Woohyun's neck and nose and mouth and he saw how Woohyun was struggling to breathe.

In a spur of the moment, he felt a tug in his mind. He thought of being free from this strips and just the, the strips blew up and vanished. He looked at Woohyun and thought the same thing, and the next thing he knew, Woohyun is falling over him. Luckily, he caught him before he hit the floor.

"Ho-- That was- You're a-" Woohyun stuttered, still in shock at what he noticed.

"A Dream guard, yes I've figured that much. Listen, Namu, now we can actually defeat the demon. I'll get you out of this dimension and you attack the demon physically. I'll stay here in his world and destroy him from the inside.

Contact the Supreme Lord and tell him to get the prison ready. I will teleport to the Dream Channel once the Incubus becomes too weak to resist the attacks."

Woohyun just nodded.  
Howon then carried him and closed his eyes. In a blink of an eye, he was et with the starry sky once again. On his side is Sunggyu who's looking so helpless with all the wound he's suffered.

"So you're a Dream Guard?" He heard Sunggyu ask Howon. The latter just nodded and Sunggyu let out a chuckle.

"Ah so that's what sets you apart. You're a halfie."

"I guess so."

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go and knock out that demon!" Sunggyu urged him with a punch on his arm. Howon just laughed. Sunggyu sure has a weird way of saying take care.

He was about to stand up but was stopped by Woohyun's grip on his shirt.

"I have something to tell you once you're done. So you better come back alive."  
Howon patted his head and knelt in front of Woohyun who's sitting on the ground. He leaned into him and pecked his lips.

"Yes, sir!" He laughed when he saw how red Woohyun's face has become.  
"Take care, Howon."  
He nodded and was about to take off. He looked back to where the two are seated amd asked.

"You still have your orange pill right? Take it before you start attacking the demon. Please take care."  
Then without waiting for ang response, he disappeared from Woohyun's sight. They then took their pill and felt all the energy they've lost all through the battle return.

They stared af each other and nodded, before they charged towards the demon.

 

Back in the the Incubus' dream, Hoya looked around for the demon.  
He was caught offguard when thin strips of malice tripped him on his feet. He looked up and saw the demon who have the same size as him.

The demon smirked at him, or at least that's what it looks like as maggots crawled all over the expanse of his face.

He just sat still and waited for the strips to cover him completely. He watched as the demon just looked at him curiously. Probably asking himself why Howon is not fighting back.

When the strips are all over him, Howon thought of an explosion and that's what the demon saw. The demon watched as he saw the strip of malice explode and with it the disappearance of the Dream Guard's body. What's left is his head which is now making faces at the demon.

Now it was Howon's turn to attack.  
He gathered wind from all the dreams in the world and used it to slash at the demon's body.  
He watched as the demons body parts flew around and ultimately some exploded from the harsh attacks from wind blades. Hoya saw the demon trying to piece his body back together but he won't let it.

He used all his power in keeping the parts as far away as possible. He wonders how the the two is doing right now. He hopes they're all okay.

He blinked and was suddenly attacked by the demon's arms which was located nearest him.

He shook his head.

Who says being a Dream Guard ks easy?

He then made an attack of his own. It became an almost never ending duel kf attacks from the two who can control everything in this dimension.

  
Sunggyu and Woohyun took turns attacking the Incubus. The fact that Howon is attacking from the inside is an advantage for the two of them as there are instances where the demon just freezes suddenly so they attack them with all their might.

"Sorry we're late!" They turned back at the sound of Sungyeol's voice. They cracked a smile when they saw Sungyeol cracking his fist, beside him sre Myungsoo, Dongwoo and Sungjong.

They then all simultaneously attacked the demon with their different weapons and psychic power. With the six of them attacking the demon physically and Howon inside the demon's head, it was no wonder that demon significantly weakened.

Woohyun looked at the demon and shouted at nothing kn particular,

"Hoya, do it NOW!"

In the other dimension, Howon heard the unmistakable voice of Woohyun. He looked at the demon who's now struggling from his latest attack.

"Okay. Let's get you home, okay?" He smiled sweetly and then mustered up all his strength to go to the Dream World. Thankfully, his instincts lead him just to where he needs to be.

Woohyun and the rest watched as the demon vanished into thin air. A few seconds later and a cheering sound was heard from around them. The rest of the agents of the Black order that came with Sungyeol and Myungsoo congratulated the six of them.

They patted each other's backs. Sunggyu went to him and hugged him tight.

"I thought I was gonna lost the best person in the world." Woohyun heard sniffles amd if it was just any other day, he'd probably make fun of the elder already. But he knew how serious Sunggyu is right now, so he just patted him on the back.

"Ah, you won't lose me. I swear, we'll always be best friends." He hugged him tighter now.  
They heard a cough and a voice soon followed.

"How about my hug?"  
Woohyun instantly let go of Sunggyu and turned back to where Howon is standing, still in a perfect condition. He hugged him so suddenly that Howon felt the wind knocked out of him.

"Of course, silly. I'm glad you're safe. Thank you."

"No, thank you, Woohyunie. Of it weren't for you, I might not have unlocked my own capabilities. If I was just a minute too late you might've been dead by now.

"Howon broke down as he remembered the look on Woohyun's face as he was tortured by the demon in its dream.

"Ssh, darling. It's okay. All that matters right now ks that we managed to defeat the demon, right? And we're all okay. There are no casualties." Woohyun smoothed Howon's back, and shushing him gently.

It didn't take long for Howon to regain composure. He extracted himself from the hug and looked around him. All the agent were smiling at him, congratulating him and praising him for being a Dream Guard.

He was smiling as he looked around but frowned when the figure of Lee Jungyeop flanked by two burly agents caught his eyes.

He then marched towards his <i> Uncle </i>.

"I never knew I raised and lived with a snake." Jungyeop greeted him.

"Ditto. Now tell me why you did all this." Howon crossed his arms over his chest, exuding an aura of authority.

"What's wrong with what I'm doing? I'm doing all of us a favor!! Ordinary humans are useless and must be wiped out of this world! It will be a world where only us higher ranks will get to rule this world. They are nothing but a burden to our kind. We could be decimated into half our population but those garbages won't ever take notice! They won't even care! They don't deserve to be protected!!!"

Everyone was quiet as they heard Jungyeop's outburst.

"So you killed your own father just so you could get the power to execute your plan?"

Everyone gasped at the sudden appearance of the Supreme Lord.  
"You are the one who ordered the demons to cause a chaos two decades ago, aren't you? You have no right to say the humans don't care about our lives when you on the first place let the powerful agents die just because of your irrational ideology! At least the humans doesn't know of our existence, so they have the right to not care. You on the other hand grew in this community. Your father, the precious High Priest was the best this Organization ever had."

"It must be done! You don't understand! My dad needs to be killed too. He loves the ordinary humans fok much and they don't deserve it! Ordinary humans are garbage."

"If they are garbage, then what are you?" The Supreme Lord said which shut Jungyeop up. He then gestured for the burly agents to escort him to a temporary cell. There won't be any trial as Jungyeop confessed the crime on his own. He'll be sent to Alcatraz after everything is settled down.

Howon watched as the car with his uncle in it drove away from them. He sighed at the absurdity of their situation.

  
"I'm glad you realized your power, Howon. I'm so proud od you." He looked at his right and was met with a smiling Supreme Lord.

"Thank y- wait, you knew?" He asked. Woohyun who is on his left also stared at the Supreme Lord.

"Of course! Your mom went to me for help. I didn't know then why she came to me instead of the human world's High Priest. She was the best agent out there. It's amazing, really." He chuckled and the both are now even more confused.

"Fate really has its own way, doesn't it? The thing is, I feel like the five of you are destined to meet." He said as he pointed at Sungyeol, Myungsoo amd Sunggyu. The three then walked towards them and asked what the Supreme Lord means.

"Two decades ago, there os also an attack from the Incubus together with some other demons. The Black Order gathered its best agents, the same way with how you were formed. Your parents fought together and established a strong bond. Sunggyu, your parents are the bravest and the kindest. They must be very proud of you. All your parents are proud of you. Especially you, Howon."

"Your mother was afraid when she gave birth to you. Afraid that you'll be used for missions because of your incredible power. That is why she asked me to lock your abilities and told me that the only key to keep it out is when you feel the need to save something very important to you. I'm sorry if I kept it from you but it is for your own safety as well."

Howon just nodded at the Supreme Lord. If his mother was alive today, he thinks she'll be the strongest and the most beautiful woman.

The Supreme Lord left after a few short conversations and every one made their way to the headquarters. All that were left are Howon, Woohyun and Sunggyu, who refused to let Woohyun out of his sight.

"So, about that thing you're going to tell me..." Howon started as he stared at their intertwined fingers.

Woohyun just smiled at him and was about to reply when Sunggyu interrupted.

"Aren't we going to the headquarters? I need to sleep. My back is aching now." He said grumpily.

Howon frowned at him.  
"You could've come with Sungyeol and Myungsoo instead of waiting for us."

"I'm only waiting for Woohyun, not you idiot. Come on now ,Woohyunieeeee"

Woohyun laughed loud as Sunggyu released his limited edition aegyo at him.

"Okay , okay. Just give us a minute. Wait inside the car, okay?"

Sunggyu trudged towards the car and slammed the door close.

"He's so annoying. Is he always like that?" Howon asked Woohyun.

"Only when he doesn't get what he wants. He's quite spoiled."

They laughed and then stopped when they looked at each other's eyes. Woohyun tilted his body so he can face Howon fully.

"Lee Howon, the thing is, I know you might find this so sudden and so out of the blue and-"  
Woohyun was cut off by Howon's lips on his own. It was short but breathtaking.

"I love you, Nam Woohyun. And I don't care if it's sudden or so out of the blue and- Ow!" Woohyun had pinched him on his side but he just laughed it off.

"Stop mocking me! Ah i hate you."

"No you don't. You love me too. Say jt, say it." Howon tickled Woohyun and the latter was reduced to a laughing fit.  
"Fine fine, I love you too. Happy now?" Howon nodded and then went back to tickling him.

They were cut off by a loud sound. They saw Sunggyu looking so darkly st the two of them.

"You're one minute is up, Nam Woohyun. Not get in here before I drag the two of you unconscious. And I am dead serious." Then he shut the car door loudly once again.

The two laughed and looked at the park. Everything returned to normal now. All thanks to the demon scientists who developed a solution to return the trees and ground to normal.

They walked hand in hand towards the car. And they will continue walking hand in hand together towards the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be lose ties here... I'll try to edit it later. I promise!


End file.
